Shattered
by Yukiki-Chan
Summary: After his parents were divorced,Betrayed by his best friend,Cheated on by his girlfriend,Echizen Ryoma's World Shattered.He stopped playing tennis , quit-ed the Tennis team,became distant with his friends and never trusted anyone ever again,until he met Chiyo ...
1. Chapter 1 : Shattered

" _I've never loved you , I only used you to get close to him because he was your best friend !"_

_The words echoed in my head and I realized I was falling into a sea of darkness ._

_Ring~~~~~!_

My eyes opened at the sound of my alarm clock . I was lying down on my bed with my alarm clock ringing on my bedside . I Shut it off and sat up on my bed . What a dream , how many times must it be repeated . I placed my hands on my forehead to tell myself to get a grip on myself , then I got down from my bed and prepared for school . Today it's the first day of my second year in high school . I brushed my teeth and put on my uniform .

"Why must high school students wear a tie?" I said while adjusting my tie and grumbled . I walked out of my room in my apartment to a empty and quiet living room . I am living alone in a apartment now as my parents are divorced . My mother got remarried and is now living with her new family while my father is now around the world . Basically , I am left here in japan to fend for myself . I walked to the kitchen and grabbed myself a bread and a glass of milk and I headed out for seishun high school , sister school of seishun middle school . I walked along the street , eating my piece of bread . As I walked on the road to school I could hear whispers and people gossiping .

"There he is .."

"He's handsome but I can't believe he cheated on his ex girlfriend and betrayed his best friend.."

Its been happening for a while now . Ever since I broke up with _her _, rumors started to spread , rumors like I betrayed him or I cheated on her . What a sick joke , when he was the one who betrayed me , and she was the one who cheated on me . I didn't care anyways , they can talk all they want , so long as I know the truth . I was at the entrance of the school when I heard at rather disgusting voice..

"Sakuno , I really envy you ! Aww I wished I had a boyfriend Like momoshiro-senpai too !" Osakada shouted with that sharp voice of hers . _They_ were there with the regulars of the tennis team and they were all crowding around the entrance of the school . She was there holding hands with him . Great , now I have to make my way through those people . I walked towards them and walked through the group which made them speechless .

"hmm , flirting so early in the morning .." I shoved through the group .

"What the hell is wrong with you , you jerk ! You cheated on sakuno with some random girl and now you're giving us the attitude just because she's got someone better then you !" Osakada pointed her finger at me and shouted at the top of her voice . Everyone turned to look at us . I cheated on her ? Are you kidding me ?! I turned around and gave her a deadly glare .

"I cheated on her ? Well if that's what you think .." I glared at her and walked away slowly when a hand grabbed my shoulder . I turned and look behind me . Momoshiro-senpai . What does he want now ?

"Echizen , you really should know your mistake , and atone for-"

"Shut up ! I don't want to hear anything from you !" I shoved his hand away and walked away as fast as I could . What the hell ?! He was the bastard that betrayed me , and what , he wants me to atone for my mistake ?! How could I atone for the mistake that I never did ?! He was the one that sakuno had loved all this while , even when she was with me . He was the one that sakuno had used me for to get to . They were secretly in love behind my back ! So what the hell was that all about !I made my way to the parade square to check the class I was posted in . Why the hell must the school change classes every year ? 'BUMP!"

"Ow.." I fell on the floor after bumping into an unknown person . I looked and saw one of the tennis team regulars , Arai-senpai..He glared at me with two other members of the tennis team .

"What do you want ?"

"You were pretty rude to our vice-captain just now ." Oh right I forgot that tezuka buchou , oishi-senpai ,Fuji-senpai, kikumaru-senpai , kawamura-senpai and Inui-senpai had all graduated last year . Well not like it mattered , they all believed momoshiro-senpai and his lies anyways .

"So what ? He's not my vice-captain .." I quit-ed the tennis club 2 years ago .

"Speak respectively to your senpai ! We're going to teach you a lesson now !" the three of them grabbed me by the collar and dragged me to a corner of the school where they kicked me and punched me all over . After ten minutes of beating , they finally left and I was covered in bruises .

"This will tell you how to respect your senpai next time !"

I laid down on the ground and tried to stand up . There were bruises all over my body . Well this is expected , I was never liked by the whole school ever since that incident happened .And I never trusted anyone ever again. I gathered my energy and walked to the direction of the nurse's office when I collapsed again . I was about to hit the ground when I felt hands around my shoulder , preventing me from falling .

"Are you okay ?!"

I looked up to see a girl with bright orange long hair and green emerald eyes looking at me with a worried face . I shoved myself away from her "Stay away from me . I don't need any help !" I Staggered to get back on my feet and walked away slowly when she came over and grabbed my elbow .

"But you're hurt ! And you can barely walk ! I'll take you to the nurse's office !" She pulled me towards the school's nurse's office .

"SENSEI ! ARE YOU THERE ? HE'S HURT BADLY!" the mysterious girl shouted at the top of her voice . Ah her voice is even louder than osakada's voice . The nurse then came out with a horrid look on her face .

"Oh my god , what happen , here take a seat while I get the fist aid supplies ." The nurse pulled me and asked me to sit down on the chair while she ran to get some supplies . The girl then bent down and told me

"I'll leave it to the nurse now okay ? I have to be in class now , i'll see you sometime !" She ran out of the nurse's office and closed the door shut . What is with her ? Doesn't she know that i'm the biggest 'jerk' in school ? The nurse came back and tended to my wounds . My hand was bandaged and my left cheek was pasted with a pad to stop the bleeding . I went to the office to find out where my class was and I found out that i was still in the same class , wonderful , with sakuno and tomoka ...Just my luck .. I walked to class during lunch break and everyone stared at me when I walked through the hallways . I opened up the door to my classroom and there was total silence followed by some whispers .

"look he's injured ."

"Maybe he got into a fight ?"

"wahh what a loser .."

Even though they were whispers , I could hear them clearly , I went over to my seat and sat down and I took my books out . They continued to ignore me after a while and went back to their chats . As usual , no one came to talk to me . Well , I kind of like it that way . When I heard the stupid voice again . Osakada was walking in with sakuno . Then she had eye contact with me and she shouted .

"Ahh Look , it's the loser from this morning ! He's all bruised up ! He's really a loser , he can't even protect himself !" She started laughing . The whole class burst in to laughter and sakuno just kept quiet there , heh , probably guilty to even laugh . The door slid open and I saw the girl from this morning .

"What's everyone laughing about ?"

"Ah Chiyo ! We're laughing about that guy over there ." One of them pointed to me .

"Yeah , he's such a loser , he can't even protect himself !" Another started laughing and the laughter went on and on . I was about to stand up and leave the class , well not that I mind them laughing , I just hated the noise . Then , I heard a loud bang on the table .

"What's so funny about that ?! I don't think he's a loser at all !"

I looked up and saw her in front of the teachers desks and looking pissed off .

"He's already injured ! Instead of laughing at him , why can't you all be more caring and ask if he's okay ?! We're all classmates aren't we ?!"

The whole class went silent and then they started to apologized .

"Sorry chiyo ."

"yeah we're really sorry ..please forgive us ."

I was stunned , one sentence and the class was like a little puppy . What the hell is this ? Who is this girl ? Then she came over to my desk .

"Hi , we meet again , wah I didn't know you were in my class ." I stayed silent and stared at her . I continued to ignored her and looked away when she held out her hands to me .

"I'm Takanishi Chiyo , you are ?"

I ignored her handshake but I looked back at her .

"Echizen ..ryoma .."

**OMG ! I AM DONE FINALLY ! I hope it wasn't too bad though . Thank For reading !**

**Disclaimer : I do not own POT :D **


	2. Chapter 2 : Seating

"Nice to meet you echizen-san ! I hope we can get along well !" Takanishi said to me while having a wide smile on her face . What ?get along with me ? I doubt you will want to be near me after you hear the rumors .Well , not like it matters anyways , I never trusted anyone , especially girls . The teacher then came in with a box in his hands .

"Okay class settle down . we are now going plan the seating arrangement. Just take a number from this box and sit according to the plan that I will be drawing on the board ." The teacher then turned around and drew boxes on the board with random numbers written on it . Changing classes is already tiring enough , why the hell must this school plan our seating as well ? Well , I know its because we have a different class and different classmates but , really , I think came to the wrong school .

"Huh ?! Seating plan ?!"

"why can't we sit at our own desired places ?!"

"I hope I don't end up sitting beside that guy !"

"Yeah , whoever sits next to him , is sure unlucky !"

I knew it .. I was expecting this to happen . Even though they say 'that guy' and 'him' , I knew that it was me . It's so obvious , they are such stupid people , just say my name if you want to gossip about me . No one went up to the box to take a number as they were frightened that they would be placed next to me . Well , I have no choice do I ? I went over to grab a number . '7' was written on the piece of small paper . 7.. I looked up at the board and went over to my seat, near the window at the end of the class . I sat down and lean back against the chair . Whispers soon filled the class .

"7 !"

"I hope I don't get the number 13 , that's next to him ."

"yeah whoever get's 13 is sure unlucky.."

Its just a damn seating arrangement , don't think your the only ones who don't want to sit next to me because I don't want to sit next to you all too .How childish .I closed my eyes and sighed to myself , then the class was gasping .I opened my eyes and saw that they were looking right at sakuno , no , I should call her ryuzaki-san .

"Ryuzaki-san .. your number 13 .." one of the girls said .

No way , she's sitting next to me ? I rather die than to sit next to her . I don't want anything to do with her . Not anymore , I rather sit next to oskada than her !

"Sakuno , your sitting next to him , what are you going to do ?!" Osakada shot a glare at me and then looked worriedly at ryuzaki-san. Ryuzaki-san looked like she was about to cry , oh please , I don't want to sit next to you too , I should be the one wanting to cry .

"Ryuzaki-san !" a shout came from across the classroom . My eyes turned to one corner of the room and I saw takanishi-san walk towards where osakada and ryuzaki were standing .

"If you'd like , you could changed numbers with me . I don't like sitting in front and I don't really mind sitting next to echizen-san ."

"Huh ? B-but ..is it okay ?"

"Its fine !"

"But chiyo , you will be sitting next to the jerk !" Osakada raised her voice .. why is she always shouting ? Sigh , this class sitting arrangement is starting to get on my nerves , why can't they just hurry up and get this over with .

"huh ? What jerk ? I'm only going to be sitting next to echizen-san " takanishi-san said and then she took her bag and went over to the table next to mine and sat down . She turned to smile at me but I ignored her and turned away from her and looked out the window .She must be crazy to want to sit next to me the 'jerk' .Well at least that's settled .

"Echizen-san , why are you always so quiet ?" Takanishi-san suddenly spoke to me . I turned to look at her standing beside my desk . I ignored her as usual and took out my note book and started read through it for the next lesson .She sat down at her desk and continued to prompt me to answer her or reply her . Ah she's just so annoying ! Why won't she just leave me alone ? I take back my words , I rather sit beside anyone but her , at least they'll leave me alone . But her ? She just wouldn't stop talking to me . What's with her anyways ? Doesn't she knows that i'm the 'jerk' of the school or rather i'm known as the 'jerk' of the school for 'cheating' on my girlfriend and 'betraying' my best friend ?So why is she being nice to me ?! Why is she talking to me like all that's never happened ?! The teacher of the next period finally came in . At last ! Some peace and quiet ! And the lesson was english . Argh why must it be english ?! It's such a boring subject . I took out my textbook and flip through the pages that the teacher told us to .

"ahh , I forgot to bring my textbook .."

I looked at the person beside me that was looking through her bag for her english textbook. She then looked up at me and I averted my gaze from her to avoid any eye contact .

"echizen-san , can I share the textbook with you ?" takanishi-san said . The class heard what she said and they were shocked by it .

"CHIYO ! I can lend you mine and share with sakuno !" osakada shouted across the classroom . The others were agreeing with her and nodding their heads . What is she ? A idol ? Why is everyone so impulsive or rather , protective when it comes to her ?! It was like this earlier too , one sentence and they were acting so nice . This is Madness .

"It's fine , I can just share it with echizen-san ! I can right ? echizen-san ?" she shouted back and turned to me with a smile on her face . I looked at her and sighed .

"Do what you want .."

"Thank you !" She dragged her desk and placed it next to mine and sat down beside me with the textbook in between the desk . "you're really nice you know that ?"

I looked at her . What me ? Nice ? She must be joking , I was being rude to her to get her to keep away from me , and what ? She thinks i'm nice ?!

"Echizen , continue the line from where I last stopped ." The teacher called out to me which caught me by surprised . Damn it , I wasn't listening as my mind was preoccupied with the weirdest girl I have ever known . Shit where did he stop ? I was flipping through my textbook to find out where the teacher was at when takanishi-san whispered to me "page 34 line 5." I shot a stare at her and then I read from where she said the teacher had stopped . I sat back down after reading . The lesson ended and we greeted the teacher . After the last lesson of the day , I packed my bag and got ready to leave when takanishi-san called out to me .

"echizen-san your english is really good !" She looked at me with glimmering eyes . I give up , it looks like she won't shut up and leave me alone unless I tell her to . Sigh .

"you know .. you don't have to be so nice towards me .."

"heh ?" She looked innocently at me .

"It's best if you stay away from me or you'll get caught up in my business and those rumors ."

"why would I do that ? It's just rumors , its not like its really true , and besides , you don't seem like a bad person at all .Even though you look like your a bad person but , your actually really nice right ?." I looked at her and thought about what she said . Is she out of her mind ?

"so lets be friends echizen-san !" She held out her hands to me again but I pushed it away ."i don't need any friends!" I walked out of the classroom and headed towards the school gate . Friends ? I don't need any , they all betrayed me . I will never trust anyone other than myself . I walked out of the school and headed to the train station . Damn it ! I was held back by that girl and now I am going to be late !

Chiyo's POV:

"_I don't need any friends !" _

the words kept repeating itself in my head . Why would he say something like that ?

"Chiyo ! Why do you keep talking to that jerk !" Osakada brought me back from my thoughts .

"heh jerk ? Jerk who ?" I looked at my watch only to realized how late it was ."i have to go now ! I'll see you tomorrow !"

If I don't hurry i'm going to be late for my work ! And today is the first day where i'll be transferring to a new branch ! I Ran as fast as I could towards the train station . I squeezed in the crowded trains . After 10 minutes of being inside a train like a packed sardines In a can , I finally reached ! Yes ! I got out of the station and headed towards sunshine Cafe . I made it on time ! The manager came and greeted me .

"Thanks for coming takanishi-san , please go ahead and change to your work uniform and i'll introduce you to the staff ."

"hai !"

I went to the changing rooms and changed in to the waitress uniform . Ah I love the uniforms of this cafe ! Its designed as a maid uniform and its just so cute ! I walked out and the manager led me towards the meeting room . The staff were all there .

"everyone , this is Takanishi Chiyo , she just transferred her from the south branch , lets all welcome her ."

I walked in and smiled at the staff members . " Hello , i'm Takanishi Chiyo , you can call me chi or chiyo ."

Then I heard a cough and someone choking , I looked up and my eyes widened as I saw a familiar person .

"Echizen-san ?!"

**Ryoma and chiyo sat beside each other at class , chiyo kept talking to him and now they are working in the same restaurant ?! What could get any worse for ryoma . Read to find out ! Thanks for reading people and thanks for the reviews ! Heart you guys :D**

**Disclaimer : I do not own POT**


	3. Chapter 3 : Working

I changed in to my uniform and walked towards the staff meeting room . I was almost late thanks to that girl ! Luckily I made it in on time before the manager could catch me . I heard that he was going to meet a newcomer that have just transferred to this branch . Well , its non of my business so long as I don't get the job of looking after that person .Everyone has a partner here to look out for each other when they come to this branch , well , I don't since i'm able to handle things by myself . I walked into the meeting room and sat down on one of the open chairs .

"Good afternoon echizen ." One of the staff greeted me .

"hai..." I replied , trying not to talk to him much . I went over to pour myself a cup of water when the door flung opened . The manager walked in with a smile on his face . Why is he always smiling ? God he reminds me of fuji-senpai .

"Everyone , We have a new staff member joining us today , she just transferred her from the south branch , lets all welcome her ."

She ? Another girl ? We already have 2 girls here and its already a torture to me , and now we have one more . Sigh . I took a sip of my water and closed my eyes

"Hello , i'm Takanishi Chiyo , Nice to meet you all , you can call me chi or chiyo ."

I choked on my water and starting coughing . What ? Takanishi Chiyo ? You can't be serious right ? It can't be her , I mean , there are people that have the same names so it can't be her right ? It must be a coincidence of people having the same names or maybe the manager pronounced her name wrongly , he_ was _a clumsy type of person. I looked up and to my horror , I wished I was having dream .

"Echizen-san ?!" The girl who was in my class , the girl who almost made me late for work and the girl who was talking to me non-stop at class , was standing right in front of my eyes .

"Echizen-san ! Wah what a coincidence ! You're working here too ? The world is such a small place !"

"Takanishi-san , you know echizen ?" The manager asked her .

"yeah , we attend the same school and we're also classmates ."

Why do I have a bad feeling about this .

"Great , then it settles everything ! I was having a headache on who should look after her here since she is new to this branch , but since your her classmate and you go to the same school ..." He came over and patted my shoulder . "You'll look after her then !" What ? WHAT?! WHAT!?

"But manager ! Why me ?! You know I don't need a partner !" I told the manager , not wanting to raise my voice .

"you don't need the partner ,but she does ."

"then ask someone else to do it ."

"i'm sorry echizen , but everyone already has a partner except for you , and since you already know her , you're the best person for the job , i'll leave it to you then !"

"Manager wait-" He skipped out of the room and shut the door shut before I could say anything else .I stoned down there . That sadistic manager ! Is he trying to kill me ?!

"Echizen-san , thanks for looking after me ! Lets work hard together !" takanishi-san smiled at me . I looked down at her . You have got to be shitting with me ..

At our working shift , I was on the floor and serving the customers drinks while takanishi-san ..took orders for another table full of guys . They looked like scums , well i'm not serving them so its non of my business .

"Okay , then i'll repeat your orders , one omelet rice , one chocolate parfait and one cheesecake . That will be all ? Do you need anything else ?"

"Yes , why don't you give me your number sweety."One of guys grabbed her wrist .

"Um .. i'm sorry but-" The man tightened his grip on her hands and she flinched .

"Come on just give us your number , you look so cute , then we can take you out somewhere nice and fun later ."

"ow...please let go of me .." takanishi-san tried to pulled her hands away from that guy but it was futile and his grip got tighter .

"I'll let go of you once you give me your number .."

Everyone was looking at that scene . Some were even whispering 'somebody help her' .Where the hell is the manager at a time like this ? I looked around for the manager only to find him hiding behind the counter with puppy eyes as if he was telling me something .

"What ? Don't look at me like that ."

His eyes then became teary as if he was about to cry . What ? Is he scared or something ? I knew he was a wimp.. but come on this is ridiculous ! What kind of manager hides when his employee is in trouble ?! Sigh looks like i've got no choice , do I ? I sighed and went over . I forcefully grabbed the guy's hand and pulled his hands away from takanishi-san's hands , freeing her from his grip .

"What do you think your doing ?! Stay out of our business !" He shouted at me and stood up .

"That's what I should be asking you , you're harassing her ."

"That's non of your business !"

"well unfortunately it is , you're harassing her inside this restaurant and you are disrupting our work , therefore , it is my business , please stop this before I start calling the police ." I shot a glared at him which made him step backwards . Is my glare really that scary to be able to make him step backwards ? The whole restaurant looked at our direction and he was completely silence as many people were saying stuff like ' yeah leave her alone !' and 'stop this now .' The rest of them stood and and whispered something to his ear . Then he looked at me and glared back at me .

"Argh , I'll remember this !" He and his friends ran out of the restaurant and everyone started cheering . The manager came out from hiding and came over and hugged me by the neck . Ahh stop hugging me ! I shot a glare at him and he finally let go of me .

"T-thanks echizen-san..you really saved me back there ." Takanishi-san came over and thanked me . Heh , it was nothing , I only did it because mr manager over there couldn't do the job and the others were too scared to even serve them .

"Not really .. you don't have to thank me .." I walked off and continued to do my work shift . At last , after few hours of working , my work ended ! I stacked the chairs up in the restaurant since I was the last to leave and I needed to lock the door .

"Thanks for the hard work guys ! I'll be taking my leave first !" Takanishi-san said and walked out of the front door . Ahh finally she's gone at last ! I have some peace and quiet ! Today is really horrible , first I sat next to her and she just wouldn't leave me alone and then she held me back which almost made me late ,and now , she's working in the same restaurant as I am with me being her partner ! What a hectic day , I can finally have some rest now that she's gone . I changed out of my uniform and back to my school uniform and left the restaurant after locking the back door . I looked at my watch , what ? 9.30 ?! the time has gotten so late ? Damn , and I still have the stupid english essay that the stupid teacher had told me to do . I raced to the train station . On my way I saw takanishi-san walking out from a convenience store with a big huddle of plastic bag . Oi oi , she left earlier than me and she's still in this district ? I ignored the fact that she was still here and continued running for the station when I noticed that someone was following her . I stopped at my tracks only to realize that the guys from earlier were stalking her .

"what ? Are they still at it ?" I looked away and thought that it was non of my business and started to run again . I kept running trying to ignore everything , But the thought of her being in trouble kept bothering me . Ah what the hell ? Why am I so damn worried about her ? She's not even my friend . Well , she thinks I am . DAMN IT ! I turned around and ran back towards the direction of the convenience store . I am so going to regret this later .

After running for sometime , I finally found her . She was …. PLAYING WITH A CAT ?! WHAT ?! AND I CAME BACK FOR NOTHING ! Screw me for worrying . I was about to leave when I heard someone whispering behind the bushes . I went closer and saw that the same group of guys from earlier was there and they were planning something .I hid behind a tree that was behind them . Then I heard them saying "Lets drug her , you'll go there to hand her a glass of juice after adding the drug in as and apology for this afternoon , i'm sure she'll drink it , she looks so gullible . Then we can take her away ."

Those bastard ! What do they think they are doing ? They went over to her and passed the glass of juice to her .

"hey , its me , i'm sorry for earlier , here please take this as a token of my apology."

"Oh its fine , thank you ."

WHAT ?! IS SHE DUMB ?! Who in the world would take a free drink from a complete stranger ?! She must be the dumbest girl i've ever known ! Even though it is non of my business , I can't just stand here and let that happen . I have to somehow stop them .Takanishi-san is already about to drink the juice . Argh . I jumped out from behind the tree and out to the pavement .

"Takanishi-san !" I called out to her which stopped her from drinking the juice . She looked up to my direction .

"Echizen-san ? What are you doing here ?"

Okay now what do I say ..

"Well..er , I was just here for a walk !" Ack what am I saying ? "what are you doing here with this guy ?"

"oh , well he apologized to me and well he gave me a drink ."

"Are you an idiot ?"

"heh?"

I grabbed the drink from her hands and placed it on the chair , and then I grabbed her wrist pulling her away from the guys . Is she an idiot ?! Who the hell accepts free drinks from a stranger ? And what the hell am I doing ?! Why can't I just leave her alone ?! Argh .. I hate myself .

"echizen-san ?"

Her voice brought me back from my thoughts .And I let go of her wrist and looked at her .

"Are you an idiot ?! Who the hell would take free stuff from a stranger ? Your a girl for pete's sake ! And you can't even protect yourself ?!" I shouted at her . Why am I shouting again ? I have absolutely no idea why but I am just so annoyed right now . God she is so freaking gullible !

"heh ? why ? I thought it was fine ." she looked at me innocently . AHHH I WANNA KILL HER ! I am so exhausted ..

"Echizen-san , could It be that you were worried about me ?"

Who the hell will .. I should have just left you there ..then again , my body just wouldn't listen to me .

"thanks echizen-san , I knew you weren't a bad person."

I started to walk away towards the train station that was just a few meters away from where we were standing , ignoring her as usual .

"echizen-san wait for me !" She caught up with me , walking beside me to the train station stand .The train came and we both went inside a almost empty train and stood near the door .

"echizen-san , I heard you played tennis."

I kept silent .. don't even mention tennis in front of me ever again..

"echizen-san , did you hear what I just said ?"

Okay now i'm starting to regret ever going back and saving her from those scums .

"echizen-san , you're ignoring me again...why wont you talk to me ?"

"why wont you stop talking for once .." I said it . I looked at her and she stared at me with eyes wide opened .

"Heh ! you finally spoke ! Yatta ! I was thinking that maybe you hated me since you ignored me most of the time ."

"Not really..."

"so echizen-san , you told me that you didn't need any friends ..is there some reason why..?"

"Not really..."

"then the rumors about you being a bad guy...is it true .."

"Not really..."

"AH stop saying 'not really' all the time when I ask you a question ! I feel like i'm talking to a robot !"

I looked at her and blinked my eyes . What me a robot ? Then what is she , a talking machine that never stop talking ?! Sigh ..

"Why do I need any friends , I am fine by myself , I don't need someone by my side .." Not after all of them betrayed me ..

"but isn't that lonely ?"

"Not really ..."

"There you go with the 'not really' . Besides , I think you could use a friend.. so how about it ? won't you be my friend ?"

She's asking me to be her friend ? She must be Nuts ! How can she want me to be her friend , she must have already know about the rumors going around the school ..so why ..?

"you're weird you know that."

"HUH ? That's mean !"

Her expression made me want to burst out laughing . She is the weirdest girl I have ever known .

**Thanks for all the support ! Here is chapter 3 ! I hope you liked it ! Thanks for the reviews ! Love you guys :D**

**Disclaimer : I do not own POT !**

**I will update chapter 4 ASAP ! **


	4. Chapter 4 : Maybe

"Good morning everyone !"

"Good morning ! How was your morning?"

"I got a bed hair when I woke up ! Took me hours to fix it"

Everyone was chatting happily with their friends . And it's so early in the morning . Where did they get the energy from? Yawn ~ I was sitting down at my seat and looking out the window . Another boring day at school .

"Good morning guys !" Takanishi-san came in and shouted to greet everyone .

"Morning chiyo !"

"Morning !"

Well , that's what I thought . Until Ms weirdo came in the class . How can she be so cheerful and energetic in the morning ? What does she eat every morning ? Sugar ? Is that why she's so hyper and energetic ? I'm already too tired to even open my eyes especially with all the work and late nights . Sigh .

"Good morning echizen-san !"

I turned my head only to see takanishi-san standing in front of me with a smile on her face .

"If it isn't ms weirdo .." I replied sounding sleepy . I don't have a choice on whether I can reply her a not , if I don't she'll just bother me the whole day , well she will anyways .

"Hahhh~~?! You just called me a weirdo , how mean !" she pointed a finger at my face .

"you are one .."

"ehhh ?~~you meany.."

Meanwhile..

"Look , he is talking to chiyo again .."

"i don't like it .."

"he should know his own place !"

The door slid open , sakuno and tomoka came inside . They looked around the classroom and saw that chiyo and ryoma were talking to each other .

"He's getting a bit too friendly with chiyo ! Right sakuno ?"The girl with twin tails asked her friend sakuno. Sakuno said nothing and kept quiet all the while until the door opened again .

"Yo ! Good morning people !" Everyone turned to the direction of where the voice was coming from and then they saw that momoshiro was standing there .His hands than went around sakuno and his face was next to hers .

"Ah momoshiro-senpai ..what , are you here to see sakuno?" Tomoka teased him and his face went red .Everyone started to tease him and sakuno and they literally blushed . Everyone laughed at how the two of them reacted and then a chair dragging sound stopped them . They turned to see ryoma walking out of the classroom with his hands in his pockets from the back door without saying anything . Tomoka smirked .

"Looks like we hit the nail on the head , someone is jealous ."

The class burst out laughing and chiyo came over , wondering what was going on .

"Tomoka-chan , what do you mean by that ?" chiyo asked innocently .

"chiyo , you mean , you didn't know about the rumors ?"

"What rumors ? I only heard that echizen-san was from the mafia ..and he was a bad person."

The whole class stared at her with a 'are you serious?!' face .They thought 'is she really that dense?' and gave her a WTF face , Until one of the classmate came up to her and told her .

"Chiyo ..about echizen-san .."

Back at ryoma :

I walked out of the classroom after seeing the disgusting sight of those two lover birds. Flirting so early in the morning , aren't they ashamed of themselves ? Well , then again , maybe there are just thick skinned people , no .. they _are _thick skin people. God , I just lost my appetite for the day . I walked up the school hallways and then I heard the sound of a tennis ball being hit by a racket . I looked out the window only to find the tennis team practicing . It reminded me of how I used to be there , wearing the regulars jersey , being with my friends , my senpais , and my tennis . But , that's all in the past now , I can never hold a tennis racket again and I will never, ever play tennis again . I walked away from the window , closing my eyes , not realizing that someone was in front of me . then i bumped into that person .

"fshhh~"

I looked up only to see the tennis team captain standing right in front of me . Do I have a bad luck day ?! Why do I keep having something bad or something unpleasant to happen to me ?!

"echizen.." he called out to me .

"kaidoh-senpai ...what do you want .."

"echizen , won't you ever play again ?" Huh ? What ? I looked down at his hands who was holding on to a tennis racket . Oh .. he meant tennis...Are you Shitting me ?! I will never touch a racket in my life again ! I walked away without saying anything more and ignored him . Tennis ? He's asking me if i'm going to play tennis again ?! No . Not after all that has happened . I walked towards my classroom and slide the door open and my eyes turned towards the front of the classroom . Great , he's still there , can't he just go away and get a room if he wants to be close with his _girlfriend_ ..?! Why is everyone making my day worse !?

"Echizen-san " a voice came from beside my ear which made me flinched . I turned to look at the person , well you guessed it , ms weirdo is here again.

"sigh .. are you going to throw me ten thousands questions again ?"

"What? since when did I ever throw you ten thousand question ? I only asked you .."

what was that ?! What's the damn difference !?

"so I take that as a yes ?"

"no .. I just wanted to talk to you that's all .."

"so what do you want to know now ? Why is it that i'm still shorter then the other guys even though I am already in my second year of high school?"

"is it true you dated ryuzaki-san 2 years ago ?"

That questioned stumped me . What did she just ask me ? If I dated her 2 years ago ? I guessed they told her ..when I left the classroom . Should I tell her ? No ..she probably believed the rumors anyways ..why should I tell her ?!

"So you do know ..."

"yeah ..i heard it from the class when you left earlier .."

"so , i'm taking it as you'll leave me alone now since you know about it ..."

"No ! Why should I ?" she shouted at me . Ouch , don't shout .

what ? Did my ears just spoil ? I didn't hear wrongly did I ? she already heard the full 'story' about me and she still wants to be my friend ? I don't get this girl ..

"why ? Because -" i wanted to complete my sentence but no , she had to cut me off .

"it's all in the past right ? I believe that we should all just move on and focus on the future , so why should I leave you alone when its already over ? It makes no sense and I really don't think of you as a bad person and I don't care about what others say about it , to me , you look like you're not the kind of person they judge you to be ."

Did she just realize what she just said ? She don't think of me like a bad person ? Its all in the past ?

"and besides ..you saved me that time at the restaurant ..and you were worried about me and came back for me ."

I did but I regretted it in the end . Plus my body just wouldn't listen to me .

"you're not a bad person and I choose who I make friends with , not rumors ."She told me and smiled at me .

She's the first person who ever told me that . I really don't understand this girl . Is she always like this ? She's really really ..

"you're really weird you know that right ?" she's an idiot . But maybe ..

"Oh enough with the weird thingy already ! I just wanted to tell you that , that's all !" Then she sat down and took her pencil case and notebook out of her bag , she turned towards me .

"echizen-san , we have english lesson later right ? Lend me your notes !" she smiled at me and extended her hand out for me to pass my notebook to her . I really give up , I can't figure her out at all ! I took my notebook out of my bag and handed it to her .

"here weirdo.." i handed the notes over to her .

"stop calling my weirdo ! You beansprout !"

"stop calling me beansprout then..."

"huh ?! You started it first !"

I must be nuts ...Why do I feel so happy when she told me that . I must be going crazy or maybe i'm just getting infected by her weirdo-ness .

Meanwhile ..

"why is she still talking with him ?"

"even though we told her about echizen , she still treat him like a friend ?"

"what did echizen do to her ?!"

A group of girls mixed with some boys said . Tomoka , who was standing behind them smiled evilly to herself .

"hey guys .. wanna do a prank on echizen after school ?" she smirked .

**Okay I know I just made the ending a little ..well , you know , I left it hanging . But What sort of prank id tomoka going to do it ryoma and what will happen , read to find out ! Thanks for all the support guys ! Hearts XD .**

**Disclaimer : I do not own POT ! **


	5. Chapter 5 : Locked

I sighed for the tenth time . I was sitting down on the cold floor inside a dark room . Sigh . Now that was the eleventh time that I was sighing. Why the hell am I in here ? Well , I knew for instance that someone wanted me to end up here . Its not like it hasn't happen to me before , but then again ...

"Sigh..Remind me again why are you locked up in here with me ?" I turned to look at takanishi-san who was sitting beside me . For some reason , she ended up locked inside the gym storage room with me .

"How the hell would I know ? I was just told by the School gardener to return a ball that was found outside and the next thing I knew , I was locked up inside with you ." She looked at me with innocent eyes . This was unexpected , who knew that I will be locked up together with her inside the gym storage room..

_3 hours ago..._

"_A prank ? What kind of prank ?" one of the guys asked tomoka who was standing in front of them .Tomoka had asked the group if they had wanted to play a prank , a nasty prank on ryoma .Tomoka then took out a bunch of keys from her pocket and dangled it in front of them ._

"_I have the keys to the gym storage room..you thinking what I'm thinking ?" She smiled evilly at the rest of her friends . They smiled back at her in agreement ._

"_T__omoka , you are a genius ! So how do we get him inside the storage room ?" One of them asked .  
"We'll just tell him that the teacher wanted him to get something from the storage room after school. And then , we'll lock him in when he's inside." Tomoka said with a evil look on her face . _

"_Awesome , but what if he doesn't fall for it ?"_

"_Oh he will , we'll just have to make sure he takes the bait . But if somehow he doesn't fall for the trick , we'll just have to make sure he comes to the hall where the gym storage room is located and then we'll push him in ."_

_They nodded in agreement and turned over to look at ryoma who was still bickering with Chiyo about the nicknames .After lessons were over , they went over to Ryoma's desk . Ryoma was packing his bag and getting ready to leave until they came over and talked to him ._

"_E__chizen-san , the teacher asked you to head over to the gym storage room." Tomoka told him , trying to act all innocent ._

"_What for ?"_

"_She said she wanted you get something for her.."_

"_She can get someone else , why me ? tell her i'm busy.."_

"_But she needs you to help her...er..with something too and the rest of us can't make it !"_

_Ryoma looked at her and felt that something was off . He ignored her and was about to leave the classroom when Momoshiro came into the classroom and blocked Ryoma's path._

"_Ah momoshiro-senpai , You came at a great timing !" Tomoka shouted . _

"_Why ? what's wrong ?" he asked while looking down at echizen ._

"_help us get echizen-san to get to the gym storage room ! He just wouldn't listen and the teacher is already waiting for him there !" One of the girls in the group told momoshiro . Momoshiro then prevented Ryoma from leaving the classroom ._

"Get out of my way._" Ryoma shot a glare at momoshiro . Momoshiro then smiled at Ryoma and placed his hands on his shoulder .Ryoma shoved his body away from momoshiro ._

"_Oi , Echizen . If you don't do what they say , they'll get into trouble because of you .."_

"_So..?"_

"_So..your reputation is already bad enough . And you don't want to make it worse right ?"_

"_I don't give a damn shit about reputation anymore .." Ryoma pushed momoshiro away and headed towards the the door of the classroom when tomoka shouted and caught his attention ._

"_Stop being such a selfish jerk ! I don't want to get in to trouble because of you and your little pride !" She lied in order to make her plan successful . Ryoma stopped in his tracks and turned around . _

"_Fine , Whatever ! I just need to get this over with right ?!" He shouted , placed his bag down and walked out of the classroom. Tomoka and the others then smiled evilly to themselves . Their plan had worked ._

_Meanwhile , outside the school , near the school field , Chiyo was there walking around the area looking for a place to sit down and to relax when she heard a man calling out to her .She turned to look at the man and realized that it was the school's gardener._

"_What's wrong ouji-san ?" She asked . Then she saw that the old man was holding on to a ball ._

"_I found this over there by the flowers ." _

"_Oh , i'll help you to return it to the school !" _

"_That will really be a great help , thank you ." He thanked Chiyo and passed the ball to her ._

"_No worries !" Chiyo said and took the ball from the old man's hand . Then , she ran towards the school and in to the school hall . After she reached the hall , she walked inside the storage room only to find that a basket of balls have fallen over and were scattered all over the floor ._

"_Ah , who placed the balls like this ." She went inside and helped to pick up the scattered balls . While she was inside the gym storage room , Ryoma walked inside the hall and he looked around for the teacher ._

"_W__here the hell is that stupid teacher ?" He looked around and he saw that the door to the gym storage room was open . Ryoma went to the entrance of the storage room and looked inside ._

"_S__ensei- AH !" Then he felt someone's hands push him and he fell inside the storage room . _

"_W__hat the hell ?" He said ._

"_W__ho's there ?" A voice came from the inside of the storage room . Ryoma then looked and saw that Chiyo was inside the storage room .Chiyo looked at ryoma with a surprised look on her face and went over to help ryoma up ._

"_What , so you're here to help the teacher out ?" Ryoma asked . "Che , wasted my time ."_

"_Huh ? What ? Help who out ?" Chiyo asked and looked curiously at ryoma . _

"_What ? So you're not here to help sensei out ?"_

"_No , I was just returning a ball . what are you doing here echizen-san ?" _

"_I was just – hey someone pushed me in just now .." Ryoma looked angrily towards the direction of the door and saw that the door was closed . He thought that 'someone must be playing a prank on me again' ._

"_What ? Who pushed you in ?"_

"_Never mind . Lets get out of here .." Ryoma walked over to the entrance and tried to open the door of the gym storage room . Only thing is , he couldn't open it . He kept trying but it was futile . The door was locked ._

"_We're ...locked in ..." His face turned black and turned to look at Chiyo who was standing behind him .Chiyo heard what Ryoma had said and ran over to try to open the door . But the results were the same . _

"_What ? Why is the door lock ?"_

"_Someone probably wanted me locked up in here , and mistakenly , you got locked in with me too .."_

"_HUH?!"_

_Back to the present …_

Sigh , if only I didn't bother to come here and ignored osakada's request . She's probably the one who planned this whole shit .We've tried to get out from the windows , but it was locked as well . I looked down at my watch , 6.30 . Great , if i continue to get lock in here and no one finds out , i'm going to be late for work . And then that sadistic manager will probably make me do something embarrassing like last time .I had to wear a hairband out to serve on the floor ! Everyone stared at me like I was 'gay' ! God that manager ..

"If we're locked in like this , we're going to be late for work ..No , we might not even go home .." Takanishi-san said and crossed her arms around her legs . Oh right .. I forgot about her , its not 'I' now , its 'we' . We're going to be late . Sigh .

"If only we could call someone ." She said that which reminded me of something important .

"Takanishi-san , do you have a phone ?" I asked , since I left mine in class and I was too busy to even think about calling someone .

"Why ?"

"If you do have a phone , we could call someone for help .." Is she a dumbo ?!

"Oh right ! I have one !" She shouted and dug for her phone inside her pocket . If you do have a phone , why didn't you take it out ! And I got locked in here for 3 hours ! She is really an idiot !

"Ah found it ! Lets see.."

I waited patiently for takanishi-san to call someone when she said something that made my day worse than it already is .

"Ah .. the battery is flat .."

WHAT ?! Just when I thought that I can finally be free from this hot and humid place , she told me her phone's battery is flat !? Are you kidding me ?! Argh !

"You are such a … Octopus head .." I told her . She looked at me with a expression and teary eyes that made me want to laugh .Pfft .. her expression is hilarious .

"I take back what I said … you're a meany little beansprout !" she pointed her finger at me . Beansprout ?! What ?! Okay now she just made me irritated . Then I heard the sound of rainfall coming from outside . So now its raining .

"So it's raining now ..."

"Y-yeah..." I heard a shiver in takanishi-san's voice . Why does she sound so weird . She usually have a hyper and cheerful voice whenever I talk to her and now , she's acting weird . Oh , I forgot . She's ms weirdo . I sat back , leaning on the wall and listening to the sounds of the rain . Then I heard a rumbling sound . Is it my stomach or hers ? No , it's definitely not the sound of our stomach growling . A light flashed through the window and there was thunder .

"KYA !" I heard takanishi-san shout when the thunder sounded and the lightning flashed .She covered her ears with both hands and closed her eyes shut . Wait a second , don't tell me she's terrified of thunder and lightning ? Then , the thunder struck again . She shouted again and her whole body shivered .

"Takanishi-san , are you perhaps scared of thunders ?" I asked . She didn't reply me , but instead , she nodded . Sigh . So now its raining outside and i'm stuck inside a storage room with a girl that's weird and is frightened of thunder and lightning . Could this day get any worse ?! I turned away from her and stared into the dark room . Then I saw her shivering badly now . Tsk , why am I like this ? Why can't I bloody leave her alone . I hate myself when i'm like this ! Argh ! I don't have a choice do I !?

"Takanishi-san .." I called out to her . She opened her eyes and looked at me . Argh ! Just do it Ryoma ! Its just to calm her down ! Nothing special ! Then slowly , I took her hands and held it .

"It's just some thunder and lightning . It'll pass soon . It's alright... so don't be scared ..." I comforted her. AHHHHHHH ?! I am literally screaming inside my head ! What the hell am I freaking doing ?! I just want to disappear ! She looked at me and stared silently at me . I turned my face away from her's and looked in another direction .

"T-thank you Echizen-san . I feel better already .." I heard takanishi-san's voice and I turned around and saw her smiling at me .

"N-not really..." What the hell am I doing , why is my voice shivering now . God is something wrong with me ?!

Then I heard the sound of the door unlocking . Is someone coming in ? Great ! Saved my life ! The door opened slowly and kaidoh senpai was there , standing there and staring at us . I let go of takanishi-san's hands and stared at him .

"Echizen ? What are you doing inside here ?" He asked .

I stared at the captain of the tennis team who was standing in front of me . Why him again ?

"We got locked in by accident ..That's all ..." I stood up and walked towards the door . Takanishi-san followed behind me and walked silently beside me until I felt a grip on my elbow . I turned around and saw that kaidoh senpai was holding on to me .

"What?" I shoved his hands away from my body .

"Echizen.. won't you play tennis again ?"

Again with the tennis shit ! Do I have to tell him clearly to let him know that I will never touch a tennis racket in my life ever again ?!

"I...will never touch a racket ever again ..." I told him coldly and walked out of the hall .

"Wait for me echizen-san !" takanishi-san called out to me and ran up to catch up with me . Sigh ..I looked at my watch . CRAP ! It's 7 now and my work shift starts at 7.30 ! AHHH !

"We're going to be late ! Lets run as fast as we can Echizen-san !" takanishi-san suddenly shouted and grabbed my hands and ran out of the school and towards the train station . Now that the rain has stopped , she's back to her usual self ? Argh I preferred her when she was all quiet ! We raced to the train station and managed to get on the train before in departed . We panted and gasped for air . Worse day of my life ..

"what a day , right Echizen-san ?"

I kept quiet and stared at her . Yeah , what a horrible day ! How I wish I can tell her that ! Oi.. Wait . Does she realized that she's still holding on to my hands ?! I continued to stare at her and until she realized that she was still holding my hands .

"ah ! Sorry , I totally forgot .." She released my hands . I looked away from her .

"Echizen-san , sorry if i'm asking something private ...But why won't you play Tennis anymore ?"

I looked down at her ..Tennis..I Hate it …Because ..

"I.. don't want to.. play Tennis anymore …." It reminded me of things I want to forget ..

"Why ?"

"You don't have to know weirdo ..." I tried changing the subject .

"Ahh you're back to calling me a weirdo !" She shouted . Surprisingly it worked . Wow , she really is a dumbo . Pfft I want to laugh ..

After reaching our destination , we raced to the restaurant and when I ran in to the staff room , the manager was waiting for me .

"Echizen , you are two minutes late !" The manager shouted at me . What its just two minutes . What does he want me to do now ?

"So as your punishment for being late , you have to wear this ." He held up a pink bunny suit and a rabbit's mask . Wait , WHAT ?! Don't tell me I have to wear that ?!

"There's a kids birthday party outside and we were looking for someone to do the job of the bunny . But since you're late , you'll do it ." He smiled at me. You have got to be shitting me . I'm not going out there and wearing that embarrassing outfit !

"Erm , manager . I'm late too you know .." Takanishi-san told the manager . Let her wear it then ! She'd probably do a better job than me .

"Ah Chiyo-chan is fine . Since Chiyo is so cute !"

What ? WHAT ?!

A few minutes later , I was outside , wearing this ridiculous outfit and handing out balloons to the small kids .

"Hey bunny . Aren't you a little short to be working ?" One of the kids asked me .

"Yeah and the tail is funny too."

I .. AM .. GOING..TO ...KILL...YOU ..MANAGER !

**Sorry for the long wait people . Here's chapter 5 ! Its a rather long chapter . Hope you like it ! Next chapter will be out Soon but i'm having my exams this two weeks and i hope that you can bare with me for this period ! ! Hope you'll continue to support me and thanks for all the support guys ! I really appreciate it ! Hearts you guys ! **

**Disclaimer : I do not own POT :D**


	6. Chapter 6 : Queen Of Idiots

It was lunch hour and everyone rushed out of the classroom for their lunch .I was resting my head on my hands thinking about how boring school is . I closed my eyes and sighed to myself . Why can't school end earlier ?

"Echizen-san , aren't you going for lunch ?" A voice called out to me . Well , I already guessed who it is . I opened my eyes and I was right . Ms weirdo is standing beside my desk and looking at me . Sometimes , I always wondered to myself , why does she keeps talking to me despite the fact that I kept ignoring her ?

"Echizen-san?" Takanishi-san asked me again .

"No.." I said in a low tone . I'm not even hungry . And going to the cafeteria would mean meeting people that I don't want to meet . Plus , i'm sleepy . Then , I saw osakada walking over to my desk . She then grabbed takanishi-san by the wrist and pulled her towards the door .

"Chiyo ! Come on ! Just leave him alone ! The bread will all be sold out soon !" Osakada shouted and shot me a glare . What the hell . She's glaring at me now ? I should be the one glaring at her . I knew that she was the one that locked me in the gym storage room . So why the hell is she giving me the face . What a hag ..She then pulled Takanishi-san out of the classroom . Sigh , finally they're gone . Some peace and quiet at last ! I closed my eyes , wanting to take a nap .

"Echizen-san , we need to speak with you ." A voice called out to me . I opened my eyes only to see three of my classmates standing before my eyes . Two of them were part of osakada's group and one of them was Horio , Mr two years experience in tennis . Well ,who know how many years now . I don't give a damn . And what does these three idiots want now ?

"What ?" I leaned back on my chair and stared at them . They looked at me in confusion like I just said something weird . What ? If they want to tell me something , just tell me . Its already a cowardly act to gang up on someone and yet they still can't speak up ?!

"*clears throat* , perhaps I didn't make myself clear enough . We need to speak with you _in private_ .." One of them told me and walked out of the classroom . Why the hell should I follow him out ? I sat down at my seat and ignored them . And they think i'm just going follow them out of the classroom , what kind of idiots are they ?

"Oi , echizen . Didn't you hear him ?" Horio asked me .

Of course I did , i'm not deaf . I'm just not stupid enough to follow you idiots out . I'm no idiot like you . I turned away from him and ignored him . I think it made him a little pissed . But , who cares .

"What , are you scared ? Heh , I can't believe that you actually turned out to be a coward ."

Okay now that just pisses me off ! I am not a coward , and I am not scared ! And least of all , I do not want to be called a coward by you ! I stood up and walked pass him and gave him a glare which made him step backwards . See , he's such a coward . How did the hell did someone like him become one of the regulars ?

"you're the last person on earth that is allowed to call me a coward ." I walked out of the classroom . Damn it ! I wouldn't even walk out of the classroom with these people if he didn't call me a coward in front of everyone .Screw me and my stupid pride . I walked out and went behind the corner of the stairs .

"what the hell do you want ?" I asked and then all of a sudden , one of the guys grabbed me by the collar and gave me a glare .

"What do we want ?! We want you to stay away from chiyo !" He let go of me and pushed me . I fell backwards to the ground and he place his legs on my chest . This is what I call a cowardly act . A few minutes ago , he was so scared to even confront me in front of the class and now he's acting like a totally gangster . What a coward . And what ? Stay away from that girl ? Why don't you ask her to stay away from me ?! I tried to get up from my position but he used his leg and pushed me down , making it hard for me to get up .

"Just because she can't leave people like you alone and she's a little nice to you doesn't mean you can be her friend you jerk !"

"Stay away from her , she's too good to have any connections with someone like you !"

Hmm now I get it . So she's that popular . I didn't know because we were not in the same class in our first year and I didn't bother about what was going on around me . So I've never heard of her before . Like I even care about that .

"Take a closer look at the situation idiots , like I was the one who approached her in the first place , why don't you get your facts right before you come and say such idiotic things ."

"Why you Little -" He raised his hands and was about to punch me . I braised myself for the impact but then I heard a voice coming from behind them .

"Fshhhhh"

The guy's hands stopped and his faced went utterly pale . The three of them turned around and I ,from my postion , saw kaidoh-senpai standing there . Why is he there ?

"K-kaidoh-buchou ..." Horio said in a stuttering voice . Heh , see . This is what I mean about coward .People who gang up on a person are all cowards and weak .

"Fshh . What are you doing ?"

"Erh .. we were just .."

"Scram before you make me angry ."

"Yes sir !"

With that , the three of them shouted and ran away from the area. Kaidoh-senpai then came over and held out his hands to me .

"Echizen , are you okay ?"

I looked at him and looked at his stretched out hands . What , he thinks i'm going to need his help ? I pushed his hands away and helped myself up . I don't need anyone's help , much less people from the tennis team .

"I could have handle the situation myself ..i didn't need anyone's help ."

"Echizen …"

"What are you planning ? Why are you helping me ? Stay away from me because I don't want to be near someone from the tennis team ."

I was about to walk away when kaidoh-senpai stopped me . Argh , what does he want from me anyways !? He's starting to annoy me . I tried walking from the left side , he blocked me . And when I tried walking from the right side , he blocked me .

"Argh what the hell do you want !"

"I just want to clear the misunderstanding between the both of us .."

What misunderstanding ?! Since when did me and him have a misunderstanding ?! We hardly even talk to each other . So what is he freaking talking about ?!

"What misunderstanding ?! We hardly even talk !?"

"The misunderstanding where-"

DING DONG DING DONG ! The school bell ranged . Great ! Now I can get away from him and head on to class !

"I have to get back to class now ..." I walked pass him and back to the classroom . What the hell . Why is this happening to me ?! Argh I have such a bad day ! School ended shortly after and I packed my bags . I looked around the class and saw her talking to our classmates . I then walked out of the class as fast as I can . Hell no am I going to work with her again ! I just want some peace and quiet ! I walked out of the school gate . Yes ! I'm out ! Finally I can go to work in peace-

"Echizen-san !" All of a sudden ,Takanishi-san appeared in front of me out of no where .

"AHHH !" What the- , how the hell did she .. Did she just teleport from the class room to the school front gate ?! How the hell did she get here so fast ?! Is she a witch or something ?!

"Ah sorry , did I startle you ?"

"Sigh .How the hell did you get here so fast ? I thought I left earlier than you..."

"There's a shortcut by the garden . I came from there and that's how I reached here earlier than you ."

AHH ! Why didn't I leave by the back gate ?! And I thought I would finally get to my part time job in peace and quiet . This is so not funny . Sigh , well , what can I say . She's weird .

"Lets go to work together echizen-san !"

"Like I have a choice ."

"Heh ?! What ? Don't you want to go to work with me ?"

Apparently not . But I don't have a choice , do I ? I walked beside her towards the station . Why is someone like her liked by so many people ? I just don't understand it .

"Hey , can i ask you something ..?"

"What is it ?"

"Why are you so popular ? Being so popular , aren't you sick of the people around you ? Aren't you tired of these judgmental people ?"

"What do you mean ? I'm popular ? What are you talking about ?" She looked confusedly at me .

"Are you kidding me ?"

"Huh ?I'm not popular at all . I'm just normal like you . "

Ack ! i'm an idiot for asking the idiot herself ! I can't believe she didn't even know that she's liked by so many people . I'm even more surprised on why they respect her so much ! Well idiots respect idiots I guess . Hmm , the queen of idiots . That's a great nickname for her . Pfft .

"Echizen-san , why are you laughing to yourself ? Your even more weird than me ." Did she just admitted that she's weird ? Yep , I think she just did .

"Wow , so the queen of idiots admits that she's weird ."

"Hey , who's the queen of idiots ?!"

"You are ."

"Huh ?! Then you're the king of idiots !"

"Why should I be the king of idiots ?"

"Ehh.. because ...because ..."

"Looks like I win this round ."

"che...I'll definitely win you next time !"

"We'll see.."

How many times did she say that she'll win me in debating ? I always win every round .We walked towards to train station and just my day , the train is late due to the bad weather . Now , i'm going to be late again ! Ah great , I have to face that sadistic manager again . Why is everyone in my life so damn freaking weird ?! Screw my life !

_Back to school after tennis practice ._

Kaidoh was packing his bag in the locker room . He then walked out and to the school gate . He prepared to go home when suddenly a voice called out to him from behind .

"Oi kaidoh !"

He then turned around only to see momoshiro standing there with sakuno , tomoka and the rest of the regulars . Kaidoh ignored him and turned to walk away .

"What are you trying to do ? Why are you being nice to echizen ? Didn't you know what he did to me and sakuno ?"

Kaidoh then turned around and gave them a glare ."

"What he did to you ? Why don't you ask yourself what you guys did to him ?!" He shouted and walked away . Momoshiro then ran over and pulled him back , refusing to let him go . He stared at him and kaidoh shook momoshiro's hand's off .

"Don't touch me ! I don't want someone like you to touch me !"

"What is wrong with you ?! What did I ever do to echizen ?!"

"You know full well what you did , so stop acting innocent ! I do not believe you and your lies !"

With that , kaidoh stomped off and headed out off the school looking extremely pissed off. He felt that momoshiro is the real jerk and he felt guilty that he misjudge ryoma in the beginning without knowing the real truth .

"Sakuno, what's going on ? First , chiyo is befriending that jerk and now even kaidoh is on his side . And what was that about momoshiro-senpai and you doing something to echizen ?" Tomoka asked her bestfriend .

"I..I don't know ..." Sakuno replied , looking slightly worried .

**Okay I am back from my exams ! Thank you so much for waiting ! I know it was such a long wait ! But here's chapter 6 ! I hoped you like it ! I promise next chapter will be out Tomorrow ! I love writing ! And thanks for all the support guys ! Loves ! :D**

**Disclaimer : I do not own POT !**


	7. Chapter 7 : Test

"Alright class ! That's it for today ! Remember to study for the test that's coming next Monday ! Now , if you listened in class today and took down notes , you won't have any problems . So , I'll see you next week , have a good weekend ." The English teacher said and greeted us goodbye . English test next Monday ? Argh , what a waste of my time . Its such an easy subject . Even a five years old could pass such an easy subject . Well , then again , this is japan and they are not very fluent in their English . Sigh . Well , at least that stupid teacher didn't give us any work to do . Which means , I can relax during the weekend . Great , I needed the time to catch up on my sleep .I looked down at my watch . Whoops , I better leave for work or else i'm going to be late .I walked out of the school gate , drinking a can of ponta that I just bought. Recently , I realized that I am always late for work now . Now why is that ?

"Your slow echizen-san ! Come on lets go !"

Yep , you guessed it . Takanishi-san was standing beside the school gate and she was waiting for me to go to work together. It's been like this recently and I'm actually used to it by now . Every single day , I would try to leave for work first while she was not looking but before I knew it , she was always the one waiting at the gate . I had always failed in running away from her that I gave up running . And so , we go to work together every single day and she always throws me ten thousands random questions .

"So echizen-san , how was your day ?" She asked .

"Fine..i guess.."

No , Not fine at all ! She then looked at me with her eyes wide open and smiled . Okay now that just gives me the creeps . Why is she suddenly smiling ? That is so , so weird !

"What ?" I asked .

"Nothing , I just realized that you really like to drink ponta . Every time I see you , you're always drinking that drink ." She said while smiling at me . Doesn't she ever stop smiling ?

"Don't you ever stop smiling ?" I asked . How can she smile every single day ? Doesn't her cheek hurts ? Oh god , she reminds me of Fuji-senpai and the sadistic manager . Speaking of which , they are all sadist !

"Hey , smiling is good ! You should smile more echizen-san !"

"no way ..."

"Why ?"

"Non of your business , weirdo .."

"Stop calling me weirdo !" She literally shouted . She really doesn't like it when I call her weirdo .

"then , QOI."

"QOI ?"

"Queen of idiots .."

"HEY!"

We continued debating until we reached our work place . We debated about names , food , animals and other weird stuffs . Ahh being around her is making me weird too ! I have to stop this nonsense ! She's turning me in to a weirdo like her and I do not want to be turned in to a weirdo ! Work ended at 9pm . Well , it ended early today since there were fewer customers than usual , so manager decided to give us the early dismissal . But , me on the other hand , have to stack up all the chairs and lock the door so I stayed back a little later . Argh , can't he ask someone else to do the job ?! Why is it always me ?! I then locked the front door and prepared to leave from the back door when someone called out to me .

"Echizen-san ."

I turned around and saw takanishi-san was standing there . Okay what now ? Don't tell me she left something inside ?

"Why are you still here ? Its late and its dangerous for someone like you to be here ."

"oh ..er..I wanted to ask you something- Hey .. are you worried about me?"

NO ! I turned away from her and locked the door . I walked away as fast as I can . What did I just say ?! It just came out of my mouth before I even knew it ! ARGH !

"Hey echizen-san ! Wait for me !" She shouted . She ran up and caught up with me . Then , I felt her pulling the sleeve of my shirt . I turned around and faced her . Sigh . Why can't I just ignore her ?

"Sigh ..what is it ?" I asked .

"Are you free tomorrow ?"

"Huh ?"

The next day . I was waiting in front of the station .I'm such an idiot . How can I fall for such an obvious trap !

"_huh?"_

"_Erm ...I need your help . Can you tutor me for the english test ?" _

"_what ? Can't you study yourself ?" why should I tutor her ? I have better things to do then tutor her ._

"_My english is well ..not very good, and I really need some help ."_

"_Didn't you listen in class ?"_

"_I was doodling and I really hate english ..."_

_What ? Doodling ? DOODLING? And now she wants me to teach her ?! I can't teach people and above all .. I hate English too!(even though it's my best subject)_

"_No.." I rejected her ._

"_heh ? Why ? Please ?" she looked at me with puppy eyes . *cough* ! Is she trying to act cute like our manager ?! Because , I don't buy it !_

"_No means no idiot..and don't give me that look , you remind me of the manager .."_

"_Che , and he said it always work on you whenever he asks you to do something .."_

"_Well , sadly , it does and i'm trying to change it . But still no .."_

"_Yes ,shorty" she debated with me . Fine , i'm going to win her anyways ._

"_No, idiot" I said back ._

"_Yes"_

"_No"_

"_No"_

"_Yes" wait ..i said yes ?! Damn it ! she messed up the flow of the yes and no ! Crap ! _

"_Thank you echizen-san ! Well then ,here's my number ! I already have yours so i'll text you the time and location ! Bye ! Thanks again echizen-san !"_

"_Ah wait-"_

_She ran off .What the heck ! I swear .. I hate myself ..and how the hell did she have my number ? Don't tell me- Ah ! That sadistic manager ! I swear i'm going to make him cry on Monday !_

Sigh .Well , here I am , waiting for her to show up .I should have stayed at home ! Why the hell did I come ?! God I hate myself ! After few minutes of waiting , She finally came .

"Sorry for the long wait echizen-san ! Well , shall we go ?"

"Like I have a choice ?"

I walked by her side .Sigh , I wonder how will this turn out …

**Okay , this is rather short . The next chapter will be longer I promise ! Hmm next chapter will be about ryoma tutoring chiyo ! What will happen ? Read to find out ! Thanks for all the support guys ! Hearts :D !**

**Disclaimer : I do not own POT**


	8. Chapter 8 : The feeling of home

"You're really an idiot you know that ?" I told takanishi-san who was standing beside me . We were standing in front of the public library near the station and looking at the sign that was put up on the door of the library door . This is ridiculous .

_'closed for the day due to an outbreak of flu amongst the staff members , we're sorry for the inconvenience.'_

"Its not my fault ! How would I know that the library would be closed today ! I'm not an idiot you idiot !". She shouted at me . Sigh . I really am an idiot for coming . I won't deny it . So does that mean I can go home now? Great ! Maybe it's a good thing that the library is closed ! I turned around and looked at takanishi-san .

"So I can go home now right ? Bye ." I said and started to walk away from the library but then she pulled my t-shirt and pulled me back .

"You can't go home ! You said you'll help me to revise for the test !" She said .

"The library's closed , so that means we won't have a place to study which means , I can go home."

"We could study at other places ."

"Where ? There's no place quiet enough to study."

"My house !" She looked cheerfully at me . What her house ? No freaking way am I going to the home of the idiots ! I'm going home to take a nap ! And is she crazy ?! Inviting a guy to a girl's home ! She must be so damn freaking gullible !

"No way ..i'm going home !" I started walking away but then she jumped in front of my path and blocked my way .

"Then we could go to your house !"

HUH ?! I do not want a weirdo to come inside my house ! No No No ! She will probably ask me a lot of questions and the whole study thing will just turn in to a 'answer my questions' lesson . So no way ! But , if I say no , she's probably going to pester me until I say okay .So that is not an option. Sigh ,either way , I have to choose ! Argh !

"Echizen-san ?" she asked and looked at me with innocent eyes .  
"Ah fine ! Your house then !" What other choice do I have ? I don't want her to come to my house and I most definitely do not want her to pester me all day . Sigh , well , I guess I could use the revision too . After all , I haven't been revising on that particular subject .

"Yay ! Thank you echizen-san ! Lets go lets go ! Time waits for no one !" She said and ran towards a street filled with shops . She looked so excited and happy . What a weird person . I followed behind and after a few minutes of walking , we reached . It was an apartment . I didn't know she lived in an apartment as well . I always thought that she lived in a big house. Since she's always smiling , I always assume that she is surrounded by family members but I guessed I was wrong about that. We went inside and took the lift to the 12th floor . That's high ! Imagine if the lift broke down and you'd have to climb 12 stories of stairs ! We reached and takanishi-san opened the door to the apartment .

"I'm home Kiki !" she shouted . Kiki ? Who's that ? Her sister ? What a weird name . Is her family full of weirdos too ?! I was expecting someone to jump out of the house but then , we were greeted by a white and light gray Himalayan cat .

"Meow~" the cat meowed at us and jumped on to takanishi-san's arm . She started purring .

"Kiki ! Did you miss me ? Hehe ,i missed you too ! Hey we have a visitor , Look ." Takanishi-san then turn around and showed the cat to me . The cat looked at me and meowed .

"She likes you echizen-san "

"uh-huh.."

"Anyways , come on in !" Takanishi-san said and lead me inside towards the living room . She put the cat down and headed inside the kitchen .

"Please make yourself at home . Here, you can sit at the living room first while I get some tea."

I sat down on the floor next to the coffee table and put my things down . Her house seems small . It feels like she's the only one living here . Nah , Maybe she's got a small family . But , it sure seems quiet enough . If only my house was this quiet . It's never quiet there ! The landlady's daughter is the most noisy of all . Every single night , she will play her stereo so loud that I could even hear it on the 5th floor ! And she goes 'kya kya kya' whenever she sees me and its so freaking annoying !

"Meow~" I heard a meow .

I looked down only to see takanishi-san's cat rubbing herself against my leg . What was the cat's name again ? Kiki , right ? I held my hands out and patted the beautiful Himalayan cat . She was soft and she purred as I continued to pat her . She reminded me of my cat , Karupin . The only difference is , the color of their coat . Karupin is white and brown but Kiki here , is white and light gray .

"Karupin …" I thought to myself .

"Wah , you guys are getting along well with each other ." Takanishi-san came out from the kitchen holding a tray of hot tea .She placed it down on the coffee table and served me one cup of tea .

"No .."

"Aww stop denying . The fact that Kiki is rubbing herself against you means that she likes you and she's usually very shy with strangers ." Takanishi-san said and sat down beside me . She took a sip of the tea and smiled at me .

"Well..i owned a cat like that too.." I said while looking at the cat that is now lying down on my lap .

"Really ?! Wah what's she like ? Or is it a he ? Maybe we could visit !" takanishi-san exclaimed with excitement .

"Its a she . But .. she's no longer here.." Karupin is gone now . She passed away in an accident a few months after moving to my apartment . I really miss her . It feels lonely in the house now that she's gone .

"I'm sorry … for bringing up such a painful memory .."

"Its fine ..i'm over it ,so don't worry about it .."

"Here ! Kiki will keep you company ! But only for a while , Kiki's the only family I've got !" She smiled at me and pointed to the cat that was sleeping soundly on my lap .Huh ? What did she mean by the only family she have ? Where is her family ?

"What do you mean by the only family you have ?" i asked . Why am i asking that ?! Isn't it non of my business ?!

"Well, my Dad passed away when I was little and my mom passed away when I was in middle school . So i've been living on my own and supporting myself all these years !"

"What about your relatives ? Don't you have any aunts or uncles ? Grandparents ?"

"No one , my parents are both the only child in their family and my grandparents have already passed on . But its okay , because I have kiki !" She turned towards me and gave me a smile . This girl , she's like me . Living on our own and supporting ourselves . But , her parents are gone and mine are still in this world . The thing is , they don't care about me .So it's the same as if they were dead . But how is it that she's able to stay happy ? How is it that she can still smile like that everyday ?

"Echizen-san ? Is something wrong ?"

"Nothing ... So , are we going to study or what , or I can just go home ?"

"Ah , of course we're going to study ! I'll leave it to you then , echizen-sensei !"

"Don't call me that ..."

"Then ..Shorty-sensei !"

I looked at her and gave her a glare .

"No ? Baka-sensei ?"

"Okay you know what ? Lets just get this over with and stop with the nicknames stuff !"

"Okay ! Chibi-sensei !"

Sigh . And I told her to stop with the nicknames. I'm an idiot for asking her to stop . But , somehow , I feel like I can trust her . Why ? Maybe its because we both are alike ? No that's not it . There are other people in the world that has the same situation as us . So why ? Ah hell , whatever ! I took out my notes and English textbook and started my revision with takanishi-san .

_3 hours later …_

The house was extremely quiet .I could hear the ticking sounds of the clock .I was staring at takanishi-san and watching her as she tried to answer the questions that I have just threw her .She was frowning and staring in to the piece of paper . I'm guessing she doesn't know how to do it .

"Ah ! I have no idea !" She finally snapped and threw her hands over her head . I knew it ..

"Sigh .. you ...really are an idiot , and a rather stupid one .."

"well sorry for being stupid , how do you do this ?"

"Sigh ..well.."

I explained and explained the question to takanishi-san and taught her how to answer these types of questions .After one freaking hour of explanation , she finally got it .

"Now I understand ! Thank you echizen-san ! eh ?"

I was now lying down flat on the floor and my arms were covering my face . Ah , i'm exhausted . Four hours . It took me four hours just to tutor her on one topic of English that we will be tested on .Imagine if she asked me to tutor her for the final year exam ! I am never , ever going to be a tuition teacher you hear me ?!

"echizen-san ? Are you alright ?"

I opened my eyes and saw that takanishi-san was kneeling down beside me .

"I'm fine- *growl~* "

That did not just happen . THAT DID NOT JUST HAPPEN ! *growl~* I think that just happened . I want to kill myself now .

"Ah ,could it be that you are hungry ? Sorry ! I didn't realized that it has gotten so late ! Of course you must be hungry and we didn't even have lunch !"

Late ? Its only seven .

"Wait here okay ? I'll cook us dinner !"

"you don't have to cook for me ..I'm not hungry ..."

"Don't lie ,its the least I can do to repay you for tutoring me . Plus your stomach is growling so loudly that ..*growl~* " She kept quiet when she heard that . We stared at each other in silence .Then slowly , I could see that takanishi-san's face was red from embarrassment .

"a..h..h~~ i'm going to cook dinner now !" With that , she ran inside the kitchen . Sigh , well I guess I could use the time to nap . I sat back and leaned against the Sofa and closed my eyes . I could hear the sounds of someone chopping on the kitchen board and the sizzling of the frying pan . It reminded me of when my mother used to cook for me . I would always sit in the living room and waited for dinner to be served while I bickered with my stupid father and the sounds of mom's cooking will always filled the room . Argh ! Ryoma stop reminding yourself of the past ! That's ancient history ! Time will never rewind itself .

"Here echizen-san !" Takanishi-san's voice called out to me which made me open my eyes . I saw that she placed dinner on the coffee table in front of me . I sat up and looked at the plate of curry rice placed in front of me . Curry rice ? She knows how to cook curry ?

"Are you sure I won't get food poisoning ?"

"Hey! You'd be surprise !" Takanishi-san said and sat down next to me .

"Hmmm..."

"Lets eat !" She shouted and took a spoonful of curry rice .

I looked down on my plate of curry rice . I took my spoon and scoped the curry rice and ate it . I chewed on it and swallowed . This taste .. Taste like home ..i haven't tasted something like this in a long time ...Why ?...How is it that the food she makes taste so good ?

"So ? How is it ? It's good right?"

"Hmm..So-so ."

"Heh ?!"

I must be going crazy . Why am I feeling a little happy because of something like this ? What's happening to me ? We finished our dinner after 20 minutes .

"You said it was so-so but you finished the whole pot of it ."

"That's because i'm hungry .."

"Liar . Its good right ? I'm a genius !"

"No , you're an idiot .."

"Okay , but you just finished the whole pot of idiot's curry ! Hehe !"

"Fine , you win !"

"Yay ! I finally won you !"

"No , I just let you win on purpose .. Anyways , I have to get going .. Its getting late .." I stood up and took my bag . I walked to the door and takanishi-san followed behind . She unlocked the door and I stepped outside to put on my shoes . She stood there in her mini apron and watched me . Man , she looks like a mother !

"Thanks again echizen-san ! I'm really grateful for today !"

"Not really … T-thanks for the food ..See yah.." I said goodbye to her and walked towards the lift . I turned my head back slightly and saw her waving her hands . Pfft . She really looks like a mother .

The following week passed by and now we were sitting down in our seats , waiting to receive our test results .I wasn't really worried about it since English is one of my best subjects . The teacher came in the class holding on to a stack of papers . Everyone started to whisper to one another . I could tell that they were worried . Not like I care .. First , lesson went on as usual . A few minutes before the lesson was about to end ,the teacher started to call us up one by one to receive our test papers . I took mine and went back to my seat .

"Takanishi-san !" The teacher called .

"yes !" She answered and walked towards the teacher . She took the test paper and walked back to her seat . When she opened her test paper , her eyes widened . What ? Did she fail ? Ack ! Why am I so concerned about it ?! It's non of my Business-

"THANK YOU ECHIZEN-SAN !" She shouted at the top of her voice . Ouch ! Don't shout ! My ears will bleed ! Then she grabbed my hands and thanked me over and over again .

"Oi , relax will you ?" I told her and asked her to let go of my hand .

"Ah sorry , i'm just so happy ! I passed my worst subject !"

"How much did you get ?"

"I got 67 !"

"Hmm not bad .."

"What about you echizen-san ?" She asked and looked at my paper . I saw that her mouth dropped wide open . What ? Is it that shocking ? I haven't even seen my marks yet . I took a glance over my results . Oh well , the usual marks .

"What ?" i asked .

"Don't you what me !You got 100 ! That's-"

"Is it that shocking ?"

"well … YES ! Your amazing echizen-san !"

I'm not . Sigh . She's getting too excited .

"takanishi-san , can you please get back to your seat ? You can thank echizen later after I debrief the class ." the teacher called .

"Yes !" She gladly went back to her seat and sat back down . She was smiling all throughout . She's that happy ? The teacher debriefed the class on what was going to happen next week and then he greeted us goodbye . After leaving the classroom , I packed my bags and got ready to leave for work when the door slid open .

"Momoshiro-senpai !"

"Yo ! Oi , sakuno lets go !" He called out to ryuzaki-san which came running over to him . Please let me vomit . I want to get out of here fast .

"Fshhh Stop blocking the way.." a voice came from behind momoshiro.

"K-kaidoh-senpai !"

momoshiro-senpai moved away from the door and shot a glare at kaidoh who was making his way towards me . He walked towards me and stood beside my desk . What does he want now ?

"Echizen ."

"What ?"

"Lets talk.."

**This is probably one of the longest chapter that I have written !Stayed up till 3am to finish it . But i'm fine with it since I really love writing stories !*Dun dun dun dun* dramatic music . What do you think will happen ? What does kaidoh wants to talk about ? Read to find out ! Thanks for the support all of you have given me ! I really , I mean it , I really appreciate it and I love you guys ! Hearts ! :D**

**Disclaimer : I do not own POT :D**

**Next chapter soon !**


	9. Chapter 9 : Friends and foes

I was standing on the school roof top . The wind was blowing against my hair . I leaned back against the wall , folding my arms and stared at kaidoh-senpai who was standing in front of me . Back in class , he told me that he wanted to talk . Normally , I would ignore that kind of request . But , he did help me a few times , even though I didn't ask for his help .

"What is it that you want , Kaidoh-senpai ?" I asked coldly . I don't want to have friendly relationship with someone from the tennis team . Lets just get this over with and answer whatever he wants to know .

"I just wanted to have a chat with you .." he replied . If its a chat he wants , then he came to the wrong place . I already said , I don't want to have any relationship with someone from the tennis team .

"If that's what it is , i'm leaving ..." I started to walk away but Kaidoh-senpai pulled me back . I shoved his hands away .

"Wait echizen !"

"What ?! I don't want to have any connections with someone from the tennis team and least of all , someone who turned his back on me two years ago! Leave me alone !" I yelled at the top of my voice . What does he want all of a sudden ?! Just stay away from me !

"I can't ! Because I believe you !"

"Wha-?!"

"I said I believed you and not momoshiro or ryuzaki-san ! I believe you ! I believe your story !"

"You're lying ! Just what is your motive for telling me-"

"Echizen , listen to me ! I know the truth ! I know what really happen two years back ! When I found out the truth , I realized what I had done to you and i'm really sorry for it ..."

I stared at kaidoh-senpai .I tried to free myself but his grip on my hands was tight , as if he was preventing me from running away . The both of us kept quiet and stared at each other . Why is he telling me this . What is he trying to achieve ?!

"...What are you plotting ? Telling me that you believe me now …. telling me that you're sorry .. what are you trying to do ?!" I shouted .What's this feeling .. my eyes are getting watery . I don't want to stay here any longer ! Do you have any idea how painful it is to have your friends and top of all , the ones whom you've spent and shared many memories with betray you ?! All of them ! All of them betrayed me !

"Echizen ! Won't you trust me ?!"

"How can I trust someone that has already betrayed me once !?"

"Echizen ! Just trust me !"

"Shut up ! let go of me !" I pulled my hands away from him and I put one of my hands on my forehead . I looked down on the floor , covering my face . Tears was flowing out from my eyes . Argh , stop being like this ryoma ! I hate myself when i'm like this .I feel weak .. This is not like me at all . I can't let him see me like this . Damn it ! If he really treated me as his friend , why didn't he come to me and ask me about the truth ?! Instead he believed momoshiro-senpai and ryuzaki-san ! I turned around and my back faced kaidoh-senpai .

"Give me some time to think ...I still can't accept this now ..." I tried to control my voice .

"I understand..." he replied me and I walked away as fast as I can . I feel pathetic . It reminded me of many memories and things that I don't want to remember ! I feel like dying . I walked in to the class and grabbed my things . As I walked out of the school , I wiped the tears from my eyes . I do not want anyone to see me like this !

"Echizen-san , where were you ? I've been looking everywhere for you !"

I looked up and saw takanishi-san standing in front of me . Oh right , I almost forgot that she would always be waiting for me to go to work together . But , we're already an hour late , why is she still here ? Shoe could have left without me . What an idiot , now we're both going to get scolded from the manager .

"Echizen- , hey your eyes are red !" she said . Crap , I totally forgot about the red eyes theory . What do I tell her now ? Never mind . I can always ignore her . But then …

"I'm fine ..."

"But.."

"I said i'm fine !" I shouted .I walked away after saying that . Why did I shout at her ? Its not her fault that i'm like this .I heard someone running and the sound got louder . Then , I saw someone walking beside me . I turned and saw takanishi-san . What ? Why is she here ? I was expecting her to avoid me after I shouted at her . We walked to the station and she kept quiet throughout the journey . I guessed I overdid it . I shouldn't have shouted at her … Argh , why am I so concern about it ?!

"Why aren't you asking me anything ?"

"Heh ?" she looked up at me with a confused look .

"I mean .. you're always asking me questions and now , you're as quiet as a mouse . It's not like you at all ..."

"Well .. you seemed like you're not in the mood to talk and I don't want to make it worse . I mean , something happened right ? To make someone like you shed a tear ."

"Sigh .. how did you know ?"

"I can tell ..somehow ..Anyways are you feeling better now ?" she asked . I looked down at her . She didn't avoid me . Even though I shouted at her , she didn't leave me . Instead , she stayed by my side until I felt better . Somehow … she's ...different from other girls . I feel like ...i can trust her .

"idiot.."

"Hey ! You're better already !"

"What ?"

"The fact that you called me an idiot means that you're back to your usual self !"

"Hmm I guess .. Anyways , its not the time to be worrying about that . Manager is going to flip later on . I'm probably going to get one hack of a punishment from him again ..you on the other hand , might just escape from it (Since he favors you over me.)"

I don't even want to think about what he will do to me ! He is a sadist after all !

"Don't worry , I have a plan !"

"Plan?"

At the restaurant …

So this is the plan ? What hack of a plan is this ?!

"Oi , I thought you said you have a plan ? So why the hell am I doing this pathetic punishment ?!"

"I did have a plan . A plan to do the punishment with you !"

This ... this idiot !

"Besides , you look cute in that outfit !" she smiled at me . Thanks to her and her so called 'plan' , I am now here in the middle of the streets , wearing this outrageous outfit and handing out pamphlets to the passersby . This is worse than the bunny suit ! This ...This is humiliating !

"Mummy look , there's a short clown !"

"My , how cute !"

"Really , lets take a picture ."

I take back my words ! I don't trust her at all !

Kaidoh

I walked out of the school after practice . The scene back at the roof kept repeating itself in my head . I couldn't concentrate at all during practice . If i'm not wrong , I was pretty sure I saw tears flowing from his eyes . I guessed we really did hurt his feelings , no , we broke his heart . If only I could get the others to realize the truth !

"I heard you talking to echizen on the roof ." a voice sounded from behind me . I knew who that is the moment I heard his voice . I turned around with a disgusted look on my face and momoshiro was standing there .

"So what if you know the truth , it won't change anything ."

"Yes it will . It will change everything !" I started to raise my voice . I am getting irritated now . If it wasn't for him and that bitch of his , echizen would have still been my friend ! He wouldn't have stop playing tennis and his life would have been much better ! I knew that echizen wasn't the type to cheat on his own girlfriend . I should have trusted my instinct ! I should have investigated the truth myself ! I was too stupid to believe them !

"If you stay with echizen , you'll be hated by the school as well as the entire team ."

"So what ? I don't give a damn ! Besides , I'm not the only one by his side ."

"What do you mean ?"

"The girl that is always around echizen , Takanishi chiyo is it ? If I'm not mistaken , she was your first love right ?"

Then , there was a deafening silence .Momoshiro stared at me with his eyes wide open .The words probably struck his heart .I guessed I hit the nail on the head . I turned around and walked away , leaving him standing there . And also ,there is one more person that has always stood by echizen . Oishi-senpai . He never believed those rumors about echizen and he even ended his friendship with those people that accused echizen of his doings , including me. But I guessed echizen doesn't know it . He probably thought that all of the regulars back stabbed him. I have to reconnect with Oishi-senpai . I have to let him know that i'm sorry . I took out my phone and dialed his number .

"Hello ? This is the oishi household ." the moment I heard his voice , I knew that it was the caring senpai that I knew .

"Oishi-senpai , this is kaidoh .."

"Kaidoh .. what do you want ?"

"I have something to tell you .. lets meet up .."

**I'm done people ! Hehe ! After posting this chapter ! I'm off to write the next chapter ! I know . I am even more excited ! So okay . We realized that in this chapter , there are three people that stayed with ryoma . Chiyo , well from the beginning she already did . And now , kaidoh and oishi . Well oishi actually believed ryoma but ryoma didn't know it . Three people by ryoma's side . And we also learnt that chiyo was actually momoshiro's first love ! What could happen ? Read to find out ! Thanks for supporting me all this time ! Love you guys ! Hearts :3**

**Disclaimer : I do not own POT :D**


	10. Chapter 10 : Valentines day

Walking by the street to school , I saw shops selling chocolates . Today is the day where every girl would buy chocolates . Wonder what these chocolates are for ? Of course , they aren't buying these chocolates for their fathers as a feeling of gratitude towards them . And of course , they aren't eating the chocolates themselves either . That's right , they're giving chocolates to the guys they are in love with . And those guys will blush and accept the chocolates that are given to them .Now that I think of it .. This day is the most noisiest day in all humanity ! That's right , the valentines day . Who the hell made it up ?! All the girls in school would go 'kya kya kya' So freaking annoying ! A day for confessing your love my foot ! Instead of valentines day , its more like the vain day ! Its the most silly day in the world if you ask me ! God I want to murder the idiot that created valentines day ! Sigh , I won't be getting any peace and quiet today I guess .

"good morning echizen-san !"

well , since when do I ever get any peace and quiet at school now ? I looked down and saw takanishi-san standing there . Well , she's as hyper as usual . Her blood must be made of sugar .

"morning..." I said as I walked in to the school grounds . As I walked up to the classroom , I could hear the girls screaming with their high pitched voice . Argh , this is what I mean by the most noisiest day in the world . Why can't the school ban this stupid event ?! Then I stood there at my level , how the hell am I going to get pass this ? The corridor is full of girls ! Not to mention they are blocking the door to the classroom ! What are they here for anyways ?

"Wah , what is this ? This level is packed ! I wonder who are they giving chocolates to ?" takanishi-san who was standing beside me said .

"Who knows..."

I made my way through the crowd , towards my classroom . God I should have stayed at home today .I squeezed my way through the crowd and finally got inside the classroom . The obstacle course . Sigh .

"Thank you for the chocolates girls !" I heard a voice from across the classroom . I turned to look and saw a group of girls surrounding horio . Why are they giving someone like him chocolates . Are these girls crazy ? Then he looked up and we made eye contact .

"What are you smirking at ?Don't tell me you're jealous . Well I guessed it , since no one will be giving chocolates to you today . What a sad life you must have ." he told me . I ignored him and walked to my seat . Since when did I smirked at him .And I am not jealous ! I just that was disgusting ! I don't even need someone to give me any chocolates ! Why do he care ? By the way , where is the idiot ? I thought she was behind me . Is she stuck in those crowd of people ? Ack ! Why am I worried about her ?!

"Good morning everyone !" Takanishi-san walked in to the classroom carrying a box filled with chocolates . There she is ...Woah , are those chocolates that she received ? She's more popular then I thought . Why would someone like someone as dumb and clumsy as her ? No , she's gullible that's all . And an idiot as well .

"Ah , morning chiyo !" Osakada shouted and went running to her .

"Morning , tomoka !"

"Wow are those chocolates from your admirers ? I'm so envious ! Are you giving out any chocolates to someone special ?"

The whole class went silent when osakada asked takanishi-san that question . What ? Are they so curious to know who is giving chocolates to who ? Right , I forgot she's popular and liked by many guys . Its common sense they want to know who she is giving chocolates to .

"No one in particular .." she said .

"Oh I see , that's too bad . Sorry guys , she say she doesn't have any chocolates to give out today !" Osakada turned around and shouted to the whole class .I could see the disappointed look in the guys eyes . Then , the classroom door open and momoshiro-senpai walked in .

"Yo people !"

"Ah momoshiro-senpai ! You came to class with sakuno again . How sweet !" Osakasa said as momoshiro-senpai made his way in to the classroom .Oh god , must I deal with this everyday ? Sigh . If they want to be all lovey dovey , get a room !

"What are you thinking about echizen-san ?"

I looked up and saw takanishi-san . How did she get here so fast again ? Can she fly ?! One minute she was there and now she is in front of me .

"Nothing ..."

Then momoshiro-senpai made his way towards us . What now ?

"Yo , morning chiyo !" he greeted takanishi-san . Didn't he already said that ? And why is he calling her by her first name ? Isn't that kind of rude ?

"Oh , morning momoshiro-senpai !" she replied . And she's fine with him calling her by her first name ?!I don't understand her at all !

"I thought I told you to call me momo-chan ."

"Erm...I don't think I can call you that ..I'll just call you momoshiro-senpai ."

"why not ? I already said it's fine .." momoshiro-senpai said and walked closer to takanishi-san . She stepped backwards and leaned on to my table . He continued to ask her to call him 'momo-chan' . Is he trying to act cute ?! But somehow , takanishi-san looked pressurized and looked a little uncomfortable .

"er momoshiro-senpai , you're standing a little too close .."

"Am I ? I usually stand within this distance when i'm talking to a friend ." he said . You liar . You usually stand three steps away from me when we talked back in middle school .But now , he's standing only inches away from her . Is he trying to flirt with her ?

"Erm..."

"She said you're standing too close . So why don't you just back off so she can breathe ." I told momoshiro-senpai . For some reason , I feel really irritated .

"Echizen.." He shot a glare at me . Now i'm even more irritated . I returned the glare .

"If you want to flirt , go and do it with your girlfriend ."

The both of us glared at each other . He was about to say something when the school bell rang . Then , he smiled at me and takanishi-san . It was obviously a fake smile . Why the hell will he smile at me .

"I have to get to class now , i'll see you later chiyo , echizen ." he said and walked out of the class . I don't want to see you . So , don't ever come and see me .

"Thanks for helping me back there echizen-san ." takanishi-san thanked me . I didn't really help her . I don't know why but I really got irritated back there .

"I didn't help you .. I just hate that guy ..and the sight of that makes me want to vomit .."

"That's not very nice .."

"Hmm...Anyways ..why won't you call him momo-chan ? I thought you're the type of person to call people by nicknames ." Since she always calls me shorty or idiot or baka .

"Well , first of all , he's an upperclassmen . Second , he's dating ryuzaki-san , I don't want to cause any misunderstanding . And I don't really feel like it, you know . It's just that , the feeling doesn't feel right to call him momo-chan."

"So it feels right to call me shorty ?" I said .

"Hey , that's different ! You call me weirdo too !"

"No ... I call you idiot ."

"That's even worse !" she exclaimed . The teacher came in and we settled down for lesson until lunch hour . I sat at my table and closed my eyes . I wanted to take a nap but its just TOO NOISY ! All the girls are back and the classroom just got even more crowded . That's it , I'm going to the roof where its all quiet and peaceful ! I walked out of the classroom and headed up towards the roof . I opened the door and no one was there . Just what I wanted , some peace and quiet . I sat down near the fence and leaned against it . I closed my eyes and took a slight nap . Its been such a long time since I last took a nap on the roof . The last time I took a nap on the roof was in middle school . I used to lie down on ryuzaki-san's lap and nap on the roof while she read her books ... Sigh , I just remembered something that don't want to remember and hate ... Damn it .. I felt the breezy wind blowing . Why do I feel like there is someone beside me ? I opened my eyes and turned to my left side . No one . Then I turned to my right side .

"Ahh ?!" I shouted .

"What are you shouting for echizen-san ?! You startled me !"

Takanishi-san was there and she was sitting beside me and eating her bread . What is she doing here ? Isn't she always with Osakada and the others during lunch hour . I looked at my watch . 2.15pm . How long has she been there ? I took a nap for 15 minutes and now she's here . How the hell did she get here without me knowing ? Now i'm starting to think that she's a ghost .

"Why are you here ?" I asked .

"Huh ? Can't you see that i'm having lunch ?"

"Yeah I can see that , i'm not blind .. What I mean is , why are you having lunch here ?"

"Hiding.." she replied .

"What ?" Hiding ?! Who is she hiding from ? Why is she hiding ?!

"I said i'm hiding ..and having lunch at the same time .."

"And just what are you or rather who are you hiding from ?"

"Chiyo !" a voice came from the ground level of the school . I turned around and saw guys or rather a group of guys shouting takanishi-san's name . I get it . Those idiots down there is looking for this idiot here . But why the hell is she hiding ?I turn back and looked at takanishi-san who have just finished her last piece of bread .

"So you're hiding from those idiots down there ."

"I'm not hiding from them on purpose!Because I haven't had any time for myself and they've been chasing me around the whole day!And I haven't even had my lunch yet . so I came up to the roof , hoping to find some peace to eat my lunch .Then I saw you napping here by yourself so I went and sat down beside you ."

"Can't you just tell them to get lost ? And why are they chasing you anyways ?! To give you chocolates ?"

"But it'll be rude to just ask them to go away ! And I don't think they are chasing me just to give me chocolates . I'm not an idol you know . Maybe they just want to talk or something ?" She looked at me with innocent eyes .

This ..this idiot ! She really doesn't know that she's been chased by guys just because they want to give her chocolates ?! Look at them down there ! Its so obvious that the box they are holding on to are chocolates ! Shes' an idiot ! Why will a bunch of guys chase a girl around just so they can talk ?! Sigh .

"Besides , I really like it here . It's so quiet and peaceful . I feel like I can relax my mind ."

"So , someone like you who's always noisy likes some peace and quiet too huh ?"

"Hey ! I'm not noisy ! And of course I like peace and quiet !" Then she turned her body around and faced the fence , looking at the river view opposite our school .

"The river is beautiful right ?"she told me . I unconsciously turned around and looked at the magnificent view of the river . She's right , I never notice this before but the river is beautiful . Somehow , I felt a sense of comfort and I felt relaxed . How long has it been since I felt like this ?

"echizen-san , isn't that your friend down there ?"

I looked down and to my surprise , I saw kaidoh-senpai walking along the pavement below . Now , it reminded me of the conversation the both of us had a few days ago . I still don't know if I can trust him . I'm scared to trust people now .I turned to look at takanishi-san .

"Hey , can I ask you something ?" I asked . I must be going out of my mind !

"Yes ?"

"If you have a friend that turned your back on you because of a misunderstanding . Will you forgive him if he comes back and apologies to you because he found out the real truth ?" Yep , I am going crazy to ask her this ! Why am I asking her this ?! It's suppose to be my own problem ! So why am I asking her for advice !?

"Hmm , it really depends though ..If he's really sorry , of course I'll forgive him , but it'll probably take some time for me to trust him again .And also , I will try my best to forgive instead of hating . Why ? Are you facing this type of problems ?"

"non of your business idiot .."

"hey ! Stop calling me idiot , idiot ! And besides , lets say if you're really facing this situation , I think it's best if you forgive that person .."

"Why?"

"Because , he's your friend isn't he ?" she turned and smiled at me . Friend .. Why did I regarded kaidoh-senpai as my friend ? I thought I hated him . I thought I never wanted a connection with anyone from the tennis team . But I said that he was my friend . Maybe I don't hate him as much as I thought ..maybe I should give him a chance ..maybe I should try and forgive instead of continuing to hate ...

"Thanks .." I told takanishi-san . She made me realize what an idiot I was .

"Heh ? What did I do ?"

"Never mind..." She's an idiot ..

"Oh that reminds me !" Takanishi-san put her hands in her pocket and took something out from it . She took a small box out and opened it .

"Open your mouth !" She asked .

"What ?" Has she gone crazy ?!

"Just do it !"

"Why should I-" I was about to complete my sentence when she put a round bite size ball in to my mouth . I chewed on it and it taste like ..Chocolate ? Why did she give me chocolate ?!

"Here , happy valentines day echizen-san !"

I stared at her in silence and wondered to myself , why in the world did she give me chocolate !? Didn't she say she's not giving any chocolates out !?

"I thought you say you weren't giving out any valentines chocolates ..." I asked . That's right , she did tell Osakada that she is not giving out any chocolates . So why is she giving me one now ..?

"But this is special , its my first successful homemade chocolate ! And of all 20 pieces , only one came out successful ! So its not chocolates ,its a chocolate !"

"If its that special , you should have given it to someone special .." Why give it to someone like me ? All I ever did to her was call her an idiot , weirdo and other names . Surely , a normal person wouldn't give me a chocolate in their right mind .

"You're special !" she shouted .

What ? I'm special ?! Just what does she mean by that ?

"I decided to give it to you because you're special ! Well not that kind of special , more like special in a different way , you know like a friend ! Yep ! You're like my special friend !"

So that's what she means by special . And I got worried for nothing . A special friend huh ? Well , I guess that could work too .Then , she turned and smiled at me . I never notice until now .. That she has a very bright and radiant smile .She's really different than other girls ..

"Don't take it the wrong way ! Giving chocolates on valentines day doesn't mean its confessing your love . It can also means showing your gratitude towards you friends and family ."

"If only everyone could be like you .."

"Heh ?"

"Nothing .. by the way , tell me the shortcut that you always use to leave school .."

"Why ?"

"So that I can go to work first ..." And I can save the trouble of packing my bag in a rush .

"Heh ?! Then I won't tell you .."

"Why ?"

"If I tell you that , then I have to go to work alone .. and its lonely .."

"Isn't that good , I'll finally have some peace and quiet .."

"Are you saying i'm noisy ?"

"Obviously .."

"HEH ?! I'm not telling you !"

"Tell me .."

"No !"

"Tell me .."

"Make me tell you then !"

This girl , is really weird . I guess she's okay as a friend . I think I just gained the weirdest and the most idiotic friend ever . I can definitely trust her . Thanks to her , i'm starting to trust again . I'm becoming a weird person like her ..

Meanwhile ..

Near the roof , by the staircase , Momoshiro was standing there and listening to the whole conversation. He folded his hands as he watch the two of them bicker with each other . His eyes was filled with jealousy and anger . He glared at ryoma with eyes filled with angst , as if he wanted to kill him on the spot . He walked away down the stairs and his eyes remained cold as they were .

**Tada ! I'm finished ! Yay ! Cheers for me ! I took the whole day just to write this ! I hope you all like it ! Aww , ryoma decided to trust chiyo and now , he thinks of her as a friend ! Yay ! Three cheers for ryoma and chiyo ! But wait , Momoshiro is angry ? Now why is he angry ? He's already got sakuno as his girlfriend so why is he jealous and angry ? Well , chiyo is his first love . Could it be that he still have lingering feelings for chiyo ?! This is not looking good for ryoma . What's going to happen ? Read to find out ! Thanks for the support guys ! Love you all Much ! XD **

**Disclaimer : I do not own POT :D**


	11. Chapter 11 : Forgiveness

Carrying a stack of files , I walked up the stairs and headed towards the school staff office . Damn I hate that teacher . Why do I have to do this for him ?! Can't he ask someone else to do it ?! He always ask me to do troublesome tasks for him ! Is he picking on me on purpose ?! Then , all of a sudden , I felt something near my feet . I tripped and the files came crashing down on the floor .

"Watch where you're going freak .." One of the guys that was walking along the hallway told me . He walked away laughing . Bastard .. Why don't you watch where you're going ? Its so obvious that you were the one that tripped me . I looked up and saw that the files were scattered all over the floor . Tsk .. What a bother . I started picking up the files . Great , first I was called a jerk and now , i'm a freak ? What the hell is wrong with these people ?! Ah whatever , lets just get this thing done and head to the roof so that I can take a nap .I reached out to the file what was lying on the floor when someone picked it up . I looked up and saw kaidoh-senpai . He bent down and helped me to pick up the files that were on the floor .

"What are you doing ?" I asked .

"What else ..?"

After saying that , he quietly picked up the files and stacked them up . He carried them up and headed towards the direction of the staff room . I kept silent and walked beside him . The both of us kept quiet throughout . After reaching the staff room , we placed the files on the teacher's desk and headed out of the room . Kaidoh-senpai looked at me . We kept quiet and stared at each other for a moment . Should I forgive him ? I don't know if I should . What if the same thing happen again ? Seriously , I have no idea what I should do .Then , I had a flashback on what takanishi-san told me the other time on the roof . _'He's you friend right ?' ._My friend .._ 'Why don't you forgive him ?'_ Should I ? _'He knows his mistakes right ?' _I guess he did apologized to me . As kaidoh-senpai was about to turn and leave , I called out to him .

"Kaidoh-senpai .."

He stopped in his tracks and turned around . Oh great , now what ? He looked at me silently . The silence was deafening . Come on say something ! God I definitely picked the wrong time to do this .

"About what you said … well .. I .. the thing is .. I .." Hell ! why can't I say it !? This is ridiculous ! Its not like I'm confessing or something ! God , I feel like disappearing into thin air now .

"There you are !" A voice shouted across the hallway . I recognized that voice . I looked up and saw a girl running towards my direction . Yep , its ms weirdo . She stopped in front of me and panted , trying to catch her breath .

"Hey weirdo ..." I said .

"Hey shorty !" She smiled at me . Tsk , I told her not to call me that !

"I thought I told you not to call me that .."

"But you call me weirdo all the time even though I tell you not to !"

"That's different … Cause you are one .."

"But -" She stopped her sentence and looked at kaidoh-senpai who was standing there , watching everything . "Erm , did I interrupt something ?"

The both of us stared at her . That reminds me , what the hell was I going to tell kaidoh-senpai ?!

"Erm , i'll just leave the two of you then .." She was about to walk away when I unknowingly grabbed her wrist .

"Join us for lunch .." What am I doing ? What the hell am I doing ?! Screw my mouth ! I looked at kaidoh-senpai . He looked confused and shocked . I looked back at takanishi-san who was also giving me the same face .

"You sure ? I'll just be an extra you know ?" She whispered .

"...I'm telling you to come , so you coming or what ...? If your not , then-"

"Course i'm coming ! Lets go !" She interrupted me and ran off towards the stairs that lead to the rooftop . I looked at kaidoh-senpai and gave him a nod as if I was telling him to come . I think he got my message and he followed behind . After reaching the roof , takanishi-san was there waiting for us

. Great , I got her involved and now , I'll have to face it no matter what . We sat down at one corner of the roof .

"Here !" Takanishi-san held out two packets of bread to both of us .

"What ?" I said .

"You told me to join you for lunch but you don't even have any lunch at all , so I'll share mine with you . Here !"

The both of us took the bread and didn't say anything . We just sat there silently and ate the bread . Ew ,Durian flavor . Why do I get the durian flavor of all breads . I hate durian .

"I hate durian .." Kaidoh-senpai and I both said at the same time . The both of us looked at each other and we both let out a slight laugh .

"You guys sure get along well ." Takanishi-san said while munching on her bread .

Then comes the silence again . Sigh , I guess its now or never . As I was about to speak , takanishi-san stood up and walked towards the fence .

"I'll leave you two alone for a while okay ? You seemed like you have something to talk about ." She smiled at me and walked towards the fence . This idiot , she might be an idiot ,but at least she knows how to read the atmosphere . I turned back and looked at kaidoh-senpai .

"You wanted to talk about the conversation I had with you right ?" Kaidoh-senpai asked . So he knew ? Man , if he knew then tell me ! I wouldn't have to go through the trouble of having a headache on what to say !

"You said you knew the truth ..how ?"

Kaidoh-senpai stared at me . He took a deep breath and gave a sigh .

"Two years ago , when you left the tennis team , I actually believed that momoshiro and ryuzaki-san was telling the truth . I thought that maybe they were really right , Not until recently .One day as I was going home from tennis practice , I left something behind at the locker room . So I headed back to retrieve it . As I was about to enter the locker room , I heard momoshiro's and ryuzaki-san's voice .Eventually I took a peek inside from the club's window and saw that they were having a serious conversation ."

"_Momo , what if they find out the real truth ?" _

"_They won't .."_

"_But-"_

"_Don't worry , see how long our story has gotten ? Its been like this for two years , it'll be like this until graduation and no one will ever know about the story we made up about echizen ."_

"_But what if someone finds out that we were actually the ones who betrayed him and cheated on his feelings ?"_

"_Don't worry , I won't let that happen ."_

"Eventually , I heard the entire conversation and I was furious about it . I felt cheated and I felt like a complete idiot . I shouldn't have let their story get to me . I should have trusted my instincts . I should have .. i'm sorry echizen ..will you forgive ?"

I looked at him . I could tell that he was being completely serious about what he had just told me . Kaidoh-senpai had always been the serious one . That's why tezuka made him the captain instead of that jerk . Somehow , I felt that I could believe him . My instincts are telling me that I can forgive him . He wasn't the ones that hurt me . He was also tricked into their trap . I guess I could forgive him..

"I believe you .. and .. I forgive you .."

"Thank you echizen .."

Then , he held out his hands .

"Are we friends ?"

I looked down at his hands that was stretched out . At first , I was hesitant , but I took it in the end and shook his hands .

"I guess..." What's this feeling i'm having ? I feel kind of relief and happy . I haven't felt like this for sometime now .

"Looks like you guys made up !" Takanishi-san shouted and ran back towards us . To be completely honest , although I hate to admit it , she was actually the one that made it happen . If it weren't for her advice and her , I probably would not have forgiven kaidoh-senpai . She was the one that made it possible .

"Thanks weirdo .." I said softly to myself .

"What ?"

"Nothing .."

"Oh okay ! By the way , you must be kaidoh-senpai ! I just realized that I haven't introduced myself . Nice to meet you , i'm Takanishi Chiyo !" She smiled and held out her hands to kaidoh-senpai . Kaidoh-senpai took it and gave her a slight nod .

"Kaidoh kaoru .."

"I know , you're the tennis team captain !"

Then , kaidoh-senpai said something that made me flinch .

"Thanks for always taking care of echizen .." He said . Takanishi-san looked at him with a confused look on her face . Taking care of me ? Since when ? I can take care of myself just fine . And since when did she ever took care of me !?

"Erm , I didn't really , I mean instead of me taking care of him , it was more like he was taking care of me . Echizen-san always help me out when i'm in trouble . He's a really nice person inside , despite the fact that he always calls me an idiot , or weirdo or QOI."

"QOI ?" He asked .

"Queen of idiots ..Cause you are one .." I answered . But I guessed if i'm her friend , does that make me a idiot too ? Nah , no way . She's the idiot , not me .

"Hey ! You're a meany .." takanishi-san pouted .

"Oh yeah ? Who was the one that made me dressed up as a ridiculous clown at work ?"

"That was manager ! Not me !"

"You were a part of the scheme too !"

"But you must admit the clown suit does suit you .."

"You-" Before I could say anything else . I heard a small soft laughter . The both of us turned around and we both found kaidoh-senpai holding his urge to laugh . Then , he couldn't take it anymore and he burst out laughing . That's rare , for kaidoh-senpai to laugh . I almost never see him laugh . No .. I guess this is the first time I've ever seen him laughing like that .

"That's rare of you to laugh .."

"Sorry , but i've never seen you like this before .."

"Blame her .. she made me like this ..." I pointed a finger at takanishi-san .

"What did I do !?"

Kaidoh-senpai and I both stared at each other and we both started laughing to ourselves .

"I'm really glad we're friends again echizen .." kaidoh-senpai said . To be honest , i'm glad too . I haven't laughed like this In a long time . It actually feels kind of nice . And it felt good too . Anyways , I have something to ask takanishi-san . She was looking for me before .

"Hey weirdo , you were looking for me back then right ? What is it ?"

"Oh right ! Bad News ! Bad news !" She shouted . Ouch . I told her not to shout too .

"Woah , calm down , what bad news ..?"

"Manager called me and told me that most of the staff are on medical leave and there is not enough waiters on the floor as there is a flu going on ! SO that means only TWO of us are serving .."

What ?Excuse me ? Did I hear her wrong ? Two ? TWO OF US ?! How the hell is that possible ?! There's no ways that two people can do the job !

"To hell with that manager ! I'm gonna kill him ! How in the world is two people going to do the job of at least 5 people ?!" I snapped .

"How would I know .. which is why i'm asking if you know anyone who might be interested in taking up a week of part time job ."

"How would I know?"

"Erm am I missing something ? Both of you work together ?" Kaidoh-senpai asked and looked at us .

Then me and takanishi-san looked at each other . We turned to looked at kaidoh-senpai . I'm guessing that she's thinking the same thing as me now .

"Kaidoh-senpai ….want to give us a hand ?"

**Okay i'm done ! Ta da ! Here is chapter 11 ! So sorry for not updating in such a long time ! I was busy with my exams and now I am done ! WOOHOO ! Hate exams ! Wonder who ever made up the horror of exams . Anyways I was also kind of lazy to update . Recently harvest moon : A new beginning came out and I have been obsessed with it !( and still am) But I finally let it go and started to write again !Anyways , Ryoma forgave kaidoh ! Yay ! Cheers ! Woah and kaidoh is about to be dragged in to work with them for a week . Wonder what will happen ! Read to find out ! Hope you enjoyed this chapter ! Thanks for all the support people loves you ! Hearts ! XD **

**Disclaimer : I do not own POT :D**


	12. Chapter 12 : Special

"Kaidoh-senpai , you look great in that outfit !" Takanishi-san said while staring at kaidoh-senpai who was dressed in one of our waiter outfits . Apparently , he got dragged into work along with us because of the number of staff we have on duty . But still .. it is weird seeing kaidoh-senpai in a waiter's outfit . It kinda look .. well .. creepy .

"Sorry about dragging you in ..." I told him . Its not like I wanted to but we have no choice . Takanishi-san and I probably won't be enough to handle the entire restaurant . Plus that manager won't be of help either .

"Its nothing .. I do owe you a lot ..This is the least I could do .."

"Hmm but is three person enough ? It is Friday night and its going to be a busy shift tonight ." Takanishi-san asked and folded her hands . Well , she's right . Friday night is a busy night . Families will be going out to eat and thus , its going to be a busy one . Even with five people on the floor , its still considered a hectic one , how the hell are we going to cope with only three people ?!

"Its going to be four people .." Kaidoh-senpai placed his hands on my shoulder . I looked at him with a confused look . Four ? There's only three of us .

"What do you mean kaidoh-senpai ?" Takanishi-san asked before I could say anything else . Then we heard someone banging on the back door . Okay who the hell is it ?Don't tell me its manager ? Man , why does he always forget his keys ?! He's banging so loudly the door is going to break ! I walked towards the door and opened it .

"God manager stop banging the-" Before I could complete my sentence , the door swung open and a man charged in shouting . I fell backwards and landed on a pile of card boards .

"KAIDOH !" He ran towards kaidoh-senpai . Wait , that voice , I know that voice . It can't be .

"KAIDOH ! What do you mean that echizen is about to lose his job and he's going to commit suicide !?"

What ?

"No he can't think like that ! He's still so young and he has a bright future ahead of him ! We have to stop him !"

"O-oishi-senpai …?" I stood up and called out to him . He turned around and there he is , the ex vice-captain of the tennis team , also known as the mother hen of the tennis team . Why is he here ? What does he want ?!

"Echizen !" He said in surprise and made his way towards me . I took a step back and then , I tripped and fell back on the card boards again . Ah hell , why is this happening to me ?!

"Echizen-san !?" Takanishi-san shouted and came over to help me .

"Echizen !" Oishi-senpai came over as well , but as he was about to grab on to my arm , I slapped his hands away .

"Don't touch me !" I shouted and glared at him . I don't want someone that believed that liar to touch me ! Stay away from me !

"Echizen , wait , don't be so hostile towards him first .. I know you're still hurt from the things that happened but believe it or not , Oishi-senpai never believed them ." Kaidoh-senpai said . I stood from where I was and stayed quiet . If that's the case then why didn't he look for me ?!

"He even broke his friendship with kikumaru senpai because he believed you. Echizen ... are you listening ?"

"Then … why didn't he look for me .. even after two years .. why didn't he come and talk to me about it ..Why now of all times ?! Why not two years ago !?" Why ?! My voice started to get louder and I clenched my fist hard . Argh , i'm losing myself again . Shit .. I can't control my emotions .. the unpleasant memories are flowing through my mind . At this rate … Then , as I was caught up in my own thoughts , takanishi-san came over and held my hands in both of hers. I looked up at her and she gave me a gentle and calming smile . After seeing her smile , I sort of relaxed a little .

"Echizen .. I did look for you two years ago .." Oishi-senpai said . Then , I looked up to oishi-senpai's face.

"I did look for you .. but it was so hard to find you ! You quit-ted the tennis club and you were no where to be found during lunch break . Not to mention you also moved . I couldn't locate you at all even if I wanted to . It was also hard since I was in the high school section and you were in junior high . I really did try .. I really did and I never believed what momo and the others or what they say about you ."

Oishi-senpai explained . I looked at him and stayed quiet . If kaidoh-senpai called him here , then , probably , it might be true . Plus Oishi-senpai is not the type to lie . No , he can't even tell a lie . It'd be obvious if he lied . Oishi-senpai then started to walk towards me .

"Echizen- Woah ?!" Oishi-senpai stepped on to a towel that was lying on the ground and he slipped and fell backwards . He tried to balance himself but instead , he ended up crashing into the janitor's closet that was behind him . God , he never change , still as clumsy as ever . I smiled to myself and walked over to him .

"You're as clumsy as ever .." I stretched my hands out to him . Oishi-senpai looked at me and he smiled . He took my hands and I helped him up .

"Echizen..."

The both of us looked at each other and we smiled .

"I'm glad everything's okay now ! Even though I didn't really understand what was going on." takanishi-san said while smiling . Right .. I forgot she doesn't know what is going on . But she was here all the while .

"You don't have to know weirdo .." I'm not going to drag her into this mess too .

"Okay .. Anyways , you are ?" takanishi-san looked at Oishi-senpai with a blur look on her face .

"Ah , i'm Shuichiro Oishi , Nice to meet you !" Oishi-senpai held out his hands . Takanishi-san took it and shook his hands .

"Takanishi Chiyo , Nice to meet you too ! I'm guessing you must be a friend of echizen-san ?"

"Ah , I guess you can put it that way ."

"Anyways … what are you doing here oishi-senpai ? If you're here to dine , then , the front door is right there ..." I told him .

All of a sudden , Oishi-senpai came over and grabbed both of my shoulders .

"Echizen ! You mustn't commit suicide ! You mustn't !"

Huh ?! What is he talking about ?!

"Even if you're about to lose your job , doesn't mean its the end of the world ! You can always find a new one ! You mustn't commit suicide ! You mustn't !" Oishi-senpai literally shouted at the top of his voice . Who's committing suicide ?! What kind of ridiculous nonsense is he talking about ?!

"What the hell are you talking about ? I'm not losing my job and all the more , i'm not committing suicide !" I explained . God , he hasn't changed a bit ! Still jumping to conclusion , no , ridiculous conclusion as usual !

"Huh ? But kaidoh..."

Then , I saw kaidoh-senpai face palming himself .

"I never said that he's losing his job or committing suicide... All I said was that echizen needed some help on his job or it'll be a suicide night for him , as in a tiring night ..." Kaidoh-senpai told him as he placed his hands on his forehead . Sigh , Oishi-senpai is still the same . Clearly , I thought he had already graduated from his 'Mother hen hood' when he graduated from junior high , but I guess he is still the same . Well , that's what makes Oishi-senpai , well , Oishi-senpai .

"So Kaidoh , you called me out , not because echizen is about to end his life , but because you needed my help ?"

"Does it look like i'm about to kill myself ?" I asked him .

The door swung open all of a sudden and there was Mr manager , standing there and folding his arms .

"Hey ! Dinner shift is about to start in ten minutes ! Come on lets get moving !" He shouted and clapped his hands . The four of us stared at him . Oh great ..here comes the 'boss' . God , is it time already ? Sigh , this is not going to be good . After saying that , he walked out of the room .

"So , what do you need me to do ?" Oishi-senpai asked .

"Could you help us with serving the customers ?" kaidoh-senpai asked him .

"Sure , erm , do I need to change to the waiter's outfit ?"

"Ah , I'll go find an extra set , wait here !" Takanishi-san said and she ran out of the room .

Well , with Oishi-senpai , it shouldn't be a problem with the number of waiters . Four is better than three . Thank god that's over . Now all we have to do is to get ready for the restaurant to start it's dinner shift . We waited in the dressing room for takanishi-san to return . After about a minute or so , takanishi-san returned with a big bag .

"What's that weirdo ? And where's the outfit ?"

"Erm , about that ...we sort of ran out of extra male outfits .."

Oh come on . This is so not happening . So now what ? Don't tell me she's going to ask Oishi-senpai to cross dress as a girl . That would be … crazy .. and weird .. more like creepy . I can't imagine him dressing up as a girl .

"Well , I asked manager and he gave me this .. maybe Oishi-senpai can wear this or maybe , one of you can lend your outfit to Oishi-senpai and wear this instead . But this outfit may be a little ..." She said while looking down into the bag . God , what kind of outfit now ? I grabbed the bag and look inside . You have got to be kidding me .I am so not going to wear this . How many ridiculous outfits does that manager actually have ?!

"Don't look at me , i'm not going through with this again ! I have already worn two ridiculous outfits and i'm so not going through it again !"

"Okay .. what about you kaidoh-senpai ?" Takanishi-san asked him . He walked over and looked inside the bag . He stood there for quite sometime and stared into the bag . Then , he took a few steps backwards and stood beside me .

"Hell no am I wearing that !" He shouted . Me , takanishi-san and kaidoh-senpai looked at each other . Then , the three of us looked at Oishi-senpai . We smiled and handed him the bag and we walked out of the room .He took a look inside and his face went pale .

"Wait ! This is …?!"

"When you're done changing , you can come out ." I smirked at him and I closed the door before he could say anything . Sorry Oishi-senpai , I don't want to do this to you but , I am not going to wear that horrible suit .

3 minutes later …

The three of us were inside the dressing room again . We stood there and stared at Oishi-senpai who was dressed up in the outfit . His face was red with embarrassment . Takanishi-san and kaidoh-senpai just stood there and stared at Oishi-senpai . Seriously I want to laugh , not because it look ridiculous on him , but because it really suits him .

"What kind of joke is this ?!" Oishi-senpai shouted .

"What's wrong ? You look good in it ." takanishi-san smiled .

"Hmm , she's right ..." Kaidoh-senpai agreed . I hate to admit it , but surprisingly , the outfit does look good on Oishi-senpai . Maybe its due to the same nature they have . Oishi-senpai looked at us in his white and fat hen outfit . Well , i'm glad i'm not the one wearing that . I looked at the clock . Two minutes before opening .

"Come on lets go ..." I walked out towards the door .

"In this ?!"

The three of us smiled at him and walked out of the dressing room without saying anything . The restaurant opened and customers started flowing in . There was a lot of customers but with four people , we managed it quite well , especially Oishi-senpai . In that outfit , he was able to manage most of the families that have kids . Hmm , we could really use a chicken nowadays . Maybe he should consider working here for real . That way , I can finally escape from wearing outfits .Kaidoh-senpai on the other hand …

"Fshhh , here's your omelet rice ..."

"A-ah , T-thanks .."

The customers were terrified of him . God , perhaps it might have been better if he had worn the chicken suit instead .. Wait .. no that would be a bad idea . It would just make him look like a mad chicken on the lose . We might as well just scare all the people away . Sigh . After three hours have passed , it was finally 9pm . Yawns* . God , i'm tired . I stretched my hands up high in the air . I can't wait to get home and sleep .

"Echizen-san , you okay ?" Takanishi-san came over .

"Yeah...i'm just tired , that's all ..."

"Well , okay , come on , lets close up for today and we can go home !" She said with enthusiasm . She never gets tired does she ? Well , her blood is made up of sugar . Sigh . But I must admit ..if it weren't for her , I probably wouldn't have forgiven kaidoh-senpai and made up with Oishi-senpai . We closed up and locked the door .

"Thanks for today senpai ..." I thanked Kaidoh-senpai and Oishi-senpai . They smiled at me and gave me a nod .

"Don't worry about it , It's the least we could after all that's happened . In fact we're really glad that you allowed us to help . I'm really glad we made up echizen." Oishi-senpai said while smiling .

"See you at work tomorrow ..." I replied and walked away .

"Wait up echizen-san !" Takanishi-san called out to me and ran to me . She walked beside me while kaidoh-senpai and Oishi-senpai walked off in the opposite direction .

"Isn't it great ?" Takanishi-san suddenly spoke .

"What ?"

"You , making friends ."

"I'm not making friends idiot .. they're my friends from the past ..."

"yeah but , they're still your friends now right ?"

I looked at her .

"Yeah... I guess..." I replied softly . We walked towards the station and when we entered the station , there was an announcement . 'The train approaching platform A is coming in two minutes' . Takanishi-san grabbed my hands .

"Come on ! The train is coming ! We're going to miss it if we don't hurry !" She said and pulled me towards the stairs that lead to the platform .We ran up the stairs .

"Hey , what's the rush about ? If we miss it , we can always take another train !"

The train arrived at the platform and we charged in . The train door closed and we stood there , panting and trying to catch our breath .

"You .. are unbelievable … Pant* Pant* Pant*" I said . I haven't ran like that in ages .

"Hehe.. well at least that was fun... Pant* "

The both of us calmed down soon after and we stood at the side of the train doors .

"You have great friends echizen-san." Takanishi-san told me .

"Huh ?"

"I could tell that kaidoh-senpai and Oishi-senpai really care about you , you're so lucky ."

"What are you saying weirdo ? You have friends too , a whole bunch of them .."

"Yeah … but they don't really know the real me... To be honest .. I'm really nervous when i'm around them .. I can't really be myself .. I feel like I can't act like my usual self ." She said with a sad tone . Its not like her to be like this . So I guess being so popular isn't really a good thing either .

"So … do you feel like that when you're with me ..?"

"Hmm , for some reason , when i'm around you , I can be myself . I feel relaxed and calm . Its not the same . So that's why you're special .. That's why you're my special friend . Because I can be myself when i'm around you . Its weird isn't it ?" She gave me a humble smile .

I kept quiet and stared at her .

"What ? Say something ! Stop looking at me like that .. I know its weird .. you don't have to say it .."

"I don't think its weird ..."

"Huh ?"

"I said , I don't think its weird .. seems pretty normal if you ask me …"

"Really ? So ... is it okay if I join you and kaidoh-senpai for lunch on the roof ?"

I stared at her again . Join me for lunch ? Well , I suppose its fine .. Besides , its not like I hate her presence and company .

"If you want to ..."

"Really ?! Thank you echizen-san !" she smiled happily at me . "You know , I always feel happy whenever i'm with echizen-san ! Hehe ."

"Well , its not like I hate you being around me ..." I said softly .

"What did you say ?"

"Nothing ."

"You did say something ! Come on tell me !" She walked closer to me and pulled my sleeve . Sometimes , she acts like a kid . Seriously , she's like a five year old kid . Then , the train door from the other side opened and people started strolling in . The both of us were pushed towards the side . We were about to be separated when the crowd squeezed in .

"Hey careful !" I shouted at takanishi-san . I grabbed on to her arm when a man pushed me from behind .

"Woah !"

The both of us collided into each other .

Mean while ….

Kaidoh was walking home with Oishi .They walked beside each other and kept quiet all the way until Oishi decided to talk .

"Kaidoh ..Thanks for calling me that day . If you didn't call me , I probably would never have become friends with echizen again ."

"Its fine … I'm actually more concern about getting the others to realize the truth ..."

"They'll find out eventually , the truth will reveal itself .. You'll see .."

"Fshhh..."

"By the way , that girl , Takanishi Chiyo , she's seems to be in good relations with echizen . They looked like they are really close and echizen seemed comfortable around her . " Oishi said . Kaidoh stopped and looked at Oishi .

"Well , I guess to echizen , she's someone special . She really cares for echizen and she's not like the other girls ..."

"Yeah .. she seems like a really nice girl . Echizen is lucky .." Oishi smiled . They looked at each other and continued to head home .

Back in the train …

God we really took the wrong train home . We should have waited for the next train to come instead of rushing into this train . And , why the hell are there so many people in this train tonight ?! Isn't it usually empty ?! Its all this idiot's fault ! If it weren't for her , I wouldn't be squeezed like a tuna in a can and we won't be in this position !

"Echizen-san .. y-you're.. holding on too tight ..." Takanishi-san said in a soft tone . Her face was facing my chest . One of my arm was around her and the other was leaning against the train door , holding on so that I won't lose my balance .

"Does it look like I can move ?"

All of a sudden , the train jerked and stopped. _'We are currently facing some technical difficulties and the train will be stopping for a few minutes , we're sorry for any inconvenience.' _You have got to be kidding me . Why at a time like this ?! 

"Erm , echizen-san ?" She called out to me .

"What ?"

"Thanks for earlier … If it weren't for you , I probably would have been stuck in the middle of a bunch of people that I don't know ..and it'll be uncomfortable .."

"Not really ..." I didn't really know why I grabbed on to you . I just did !

"Are you uncomfortable ? You seem like you're in a really bad position and you're also using one of your hands to support the both of us ."

"I guess so ..."

"Is there anything that I can do to make it better ?" Takanishi-san asked me . Yeah , if you can balance yourself , it'll definitely be a lot better ! But i'm just asking her to do something that's not possible at a time like this , so it'll just be stupid ! I looked down on to her .

"Perhaps , it might be better if you leaned against the side of the door .. That way , we can both support ourselves..."

"Hmm you're right , so .. we just have to move and change positions .."

The both of us moved sideways . It was kind of hard to move in a crowd . Soon , Takanishi-san was leaning against the side of the train door and I was standing in front of her . But just right after we got into the position , the train started moving all of a sudden and jerked and I was pushed towards her by the crowds. This time , the both of us were closer than before . Both of my hands were pinned down towards the side that she was leaning on with her in the middle and our bodies were touching each other . Her head was leaning against my chest and I could smell the scent of her hair .

"This is .. not what I was expecting ..." I said while trying to hold my ground . The people were squeezing me from behind and I was trying my best not to move .

"T-this is a little awkward ...Erm .. you okay ?" Takanishi-san asked me .

"That's my line weirdo .."

"Hehe , its amazing you can still keep your cool even in this awkward position ." She laughed . How can she laugh at a time like this ? Doesn't she feel embarrassed ? She's really not like any other girl .

"You're even more amazing . You still have the cheek to laugh even though we're like this .."

"Well , its not like you wanted to be in this position .. besides , I don't really hate it ..and you're different from the other guys that I know ...so ..i don't really mind it hehe ."

"Hmm...I know you're tired of hearing this but i'm going to say it either way . You're really weird .."

_'We'll be arriving in the next station in 2 minutes.' _

"We'll be reaching soon , so you just have to bear with the weirdo for a while more !"

After two minutes , the train stopped and the doors opened . The crowd started to move out of the train and we got out soon after . We left the station and parted ways .

"Hey weirdo ..." I called out to her before she left . She turned around to look at me .

"Yeah ?"

"...I'll see you at work tomorrow ..."

She smiled at me and walked towards the opposite direction of my house . She turned around after about a few steps and waved at me . Then she turned around and headed home . I walked away from the station towards my apartment that was only a few shops away . As I was walking home , I kept thinking about how different that girl is . I smiled to myself . Heh , she is weird after all . But ... i'm glad she's here …

**Yay ! I am finished with this chapter ! I am so tired ! And wow , this is probably the longest chapter I have ever written ! I really like writing ! I still have so much ideas that I can't wait to write . Okay enough of my crap . So here it is ! Chapter 12 ! Hope you liked it ! I added a cute scene of ryoma and chiyo in this chapter :D Anyways , Thanks for all the reviews and support guys ! I really love you all ! Next chapter will be out soon ! I'll try to update ASAP ! Peace ;D**

**Disclaimer : I do not own POT :D**


	13. Chapter 13 : Lunch

The wind blew against my hair . Who would have thought that sitting on the roof would be so relaxing . It used to remind me of unpleasant memories , but now , it feels completely different . It feels ..good . The door to the roof swung opened and kaidoh-senpai appeared . He walked towards me and sat down beside me .

"Sorry for being late .." Kaidoh-senpai said as he took out his lunch box . Wow , his lunch is …

"Is your lunch always this classy ?" I asked him as I stared into his lunch box filled with all kinds of different side dishes .

"My mother likes to cook..."

"Hmm … I see.."

As I was about to open my packet of bread , the door opened . I thought it may have been takanishi-san , but I was disgusted at the sight that I was seeing .

"Hey , this is a good spot to have lunch !" Osakada shouted to the building . She then walked in , followed by Horio , Katsuo , Katchiro , Momoshiro-senpai and ryuzaki-san . Sigh , why must they come up here ? They turned to our direction .

"Hey , its the jerk .. What is he doing here ? And ..kaidoh-senpai is with him ?!" Osakada shouted in surprise . Momoshiro-senpai looked at our direction and shot a glare at us . I ignored him but I saw kaidoh-senpai returning the glare . Looks like they really are enemies with each other now .

"Just ignore them ...i'm pretty used to it by now..." I told kaidoh-senpai . He looked at me and turned away from them . They stared at us for a few seconds but walked away and sat a few steps opposite of where we were sitting . Sigh . I looked down at my watch . Where the hell is that weirdo anyways ? She said she'd be here soon … Its already been ten minutes .. Tsk , this is irritating me !

"Are you worried ?" Kaidoh-senpai spoke to me all of a sudden .

"What?"

"About Takanishi-san.."

"N-no .. Why would I be worried about that weirdo ..." Ack , what's wrong with my voice ?! Why do I sound weird ?!

All of a sudden , the door slammed open and there she was , ms weirdo . She was panting . I'm guessing she ran up three stories . Pfft , that's so like her … She looked around until she saw me and kaidoh-senpai . She smiled and waved at us . As she was about to walk towards us , Osakada-san called out to her .

"Chiyo ! Over here !" Osakada waved . Takanishi-san looked towards her direction .

"Join us for lunch Chiyo !" Horio said as he gave her a big smile .

She stood between us and didn't move . Then she turned towards Osakada .

"Erm..Sorry , but i'm joining echizen-san and kaidoh-senpai for lunch .. Maybe some other time.."

Osaka then stood up from where she was and walked towards takanishi-san .

"Why do you want to hang out with them ? We're much more fun here !"

More annoying you mean ..

"But i-" Before she could continue her sentence . Momoshiro-senpai stood up , walked towards her and grabbed her by her wrist .

"Come on ! It'll be a lot more fun with us then with them !" He exclaimed . What the hell is he doing ? Grabbing her by the wrist ? Isn't he aware that his girlfriend is there ? Does he have any dignity ?!

"Erm , ..Momoshiro-senpai , can you please let me go ..." Takanishi-san told him . She doesn't look so good . Her face is starting to turn slightly pale .

"Eh ? Come on it's going to be fine !" He started to pull her towards where they were sitting .

"But.."

Okay , that's it ! I'm not going to sit here and watch this anymore ! I stood up and walked towards them.

"You're going to enjoy lunch with us !" Momoshiro-senpai said with a smile on his face .

"Momoshiro-senpai , i-" As takanishi-san was about to say something , I grabbed her wrist and separated her from momoshiro-senpai's grip . He looked at me with his eyes wide open .

"Are you deaf or what ? She say she doesn't want to have lunch with you ..." I shot a glare at him .

"Echizen ryoma , what's your problem ?" Horio came over .

"Hmm...I just don't like the sight of you guys trying to force her to do something that she doesn't want to do ...And don't you dare call me by my full name !" I turned and glared at horio and he took a step back.

Momoshiro-senpai stared at me and takanishi-san . He kept quiet . Then , he smiled at us .

"Sorry , I didn't know that we were forcing her to do something that she don't want to , Sorry Chiyo-chan ! We'll just head back and have lunch , if you want to , you can join us for lunch some other time ! Come on you two , lets go back and have lunch ." He turned towards osakada and horio .

"But , momo-senpai.."

"No buts , come on !"

The both of them looked at each other and said nothing . The three of them walked back to their place . I released Takanishi-san's wrist and walked back to kaidoh-senpai . She followed behind me and the both of us sat down beside each other , facing kaidoh-senpai . I looked at takanishi-san . Her face is still a little pale .

"You okay ..?" I asked

"Y-yeah , i'm fine . I wouldn't know what to do if you weren't there . Thanks ." She smiled at me . Its nothing .. Besides ... I really hate that group .

"So you were nervous back there ?"

"Well... more like uncomfortable . I just can't be myself when I'm with them ..even if they're my friends .They don't know the real me . They assumed that they do but ... no"

"Hmm , then ... what about him ?" I pointed at kaidoh-senpai . Kaidoh-senpai looked at me with a shocked look on his face .

"Well .. Kaidoh-senpai doesn't really talk much ..Plus he's a bit different too . At first it was a little weird ..But during the weekend , as he helped out at work with us , I got to know him better and I feel that he's a really nice person . And I feel that he always speaks his thoughts out clearly , like you . I really don't feel that uncomfortable whenever i'm with the both of you . I actually enjoyed it . Its fun ."

"Hmm …"

"Anyways , that's over already , lets just enjoy our lunch !" she took out her lunch box . Then she stared at kaidoh-senpai's lunch box . "Kaidoh-senpai , your lunch look so exquisite !" She said as she kept staring at kaidoh-senpai's lunch box .

"I get that a lot .." Kaidoh-senpai said as he picked up a side dish . I sighed and opened my packet of bread .

"Echizen-san , is that your lunch again ?" Takanishi-san asked me .

"Yeah ..."

As I was about to take a bite , she grabbed the packet of bread from me . I stared at her . What is this weirdo doing ?

"What the hell do you think you're doing ?"

"Preventing you from eating the bread ..." she pouted and looked down on to the bread .

HUH ?!

"Its just that … you're always eating bread whenever we have lunch ! In class , at work and even now !"

"It doesn't matter , so long as it fill my stomach ..Now give me back my lunch .." I tried to take my lunch back from her , but she avoided my hands and hid it in her jacket .Okay , now i'm starting to regret saving her !

"Here ! Eat this ! I'll have the bread instead !" She pushed her lunch box into my hands. I looked at her .

"This is your lunch... not mine .."

"Does it matter ?" She tilted her head .

"Of course it matters !Just give me the bread and eat your lunch weirdo ..."

"No way ! You work so hard at work ... You're only going to get sick if you continue eating bread bread and bread ! You should eat something more nutritious ! And besides , you like home cooked food right ?"

I looked at her with a shocked expression on my face .How did she know …? Its true that I like home cooked food . I haven't eaten any home cooked food for quite some time due to my late schedule at work . Its either always food from the convenience store or fast food .

"How do you know ?" I asked .

"Because you finished the whole pot of curry I made for you the time you came over to tutor me !"

I looked down on to her lunch box . She remembered ? Well , to be honest , I really enjoyed her cooking ..

"Thanks..."I said softly .

"Hehe , you're welcome ! Come on , try it !"

I said nothing . Instead , I picked up the chopsticks and took a bite of her lunch . As I chewed on the food , I took a glance at takanishi-san and she was staring at me . Why is she staring at me ?!

"What ?"

"How does it taste ?"

I continued to chew on the food and swallowed it . I looked down on to the lunch box and stared at it . I picked up another side dish and tried it . I am speechless . Is this what she always eat at home... ? I turned back up and stared at her .

"So~? Don't just stare at me ! How is it ?"

"….."

She waved her hands over my face .

"Echizen-san ?"

"...its..g...d"

"What ? I can't hear you ."

"Its .go...d"

"Huh ?"

"I said its good !"

I turned away from her .God why must she make me repeat myself ! Ah what the hell am I saying !? She stared at me with a confused look on her face . Then she poked my face with her finger . What the hell is she doing ?!

"Are you really echizen-san ?"

What ?!

"Huh ?! What are you saying idiot ?!"

"Because .. you just praised me ! Normally , you would say something like 'so-so' or 'idiot' or 'its fine' . But , you just told me its good !" she exclaimed . She is really something .. I can't believe she actually remembered what I always tell her .

"If you hate it , I can always shut up .."

"Hey , I didn't say I hated it ! I was just surprised !" she smiled and took a bite of the bread . She looked really happy eating the bread . God , I don't get her sometimes , the school canteen food taste horrible ! How is it that she's smiling ?! Sigh . I looked up and found kaidoh-senpai staring at me . Shit , I totally forget that he's here ! And I bet he saw everything ! This is awkward … I turned away from him and continued to eat my lunch . After about 10 minutes , we finished eating . I'm starting to get thirsty ..

"Wah , i'm so full ! What about the two of you ?" Takanishi-san asked as she crushed the plastic bag in her hand .

"Fshhh..." kaidoh-senpai replied . I wonder if she understands .

"Well .. I had a good lunch...i'm slightly thirsty . So...I'll go get a drink ..." Maybe ponta would be good .

"I'll come with you too , i'm also a little thirsty ." Takanishi-san said . She stood up and headed towards the door . "Hurry up slow poke !"

"Who's the slowpoke ?!" I shouted as I stood up . "kaidoh-senpai .. you coming with us ?"

"Nah , i'll just head back to class in a few minutes .. go on ahead .."

I looked at him and nodded my head . Then , I walked towards the door and down the stairs . Will he be alright alone up there ? Sigh … Anyways , that weirdo is just too fast ! She's already gone !

On the roof …

Kaidoh was about to leave when someone called out to him . He wasn't too surprised as he recognized the voice . He turned around and saw six people standing there .

"What ?" He asked in a annoyed tone .

"Kaidoh-senpai ! Why are you and chiyo hanging out with echizen ?!" Osakada shouted .

"Is there a problem ? I hang out with who I want to..!"

"But-" Osakada was cut of by a hand that appeared in front of her . She looked up and saw momoshiro standing there .

"Let me talk to him... why don't you guys go on ahead and go back to class ?" He smiled at her . She looked at momoshiro and said nothing . Soon the others were on their way back to class .Before they left , sakuno stood outside the door for a while and looked at momoshiro with a worried look on her face. After standing there for about a few seconds , she walked away. There was only kaidoh and momoshiro on the roof now . The both of them stood there and stared at each other .

"What do you want ?" Kaidoh asked .

"You just won't listen , won't you ?"

"What ?"

"I told you not to hang around echizen . Now the entire team doesn't respect you at all .."

"Where are you going with this ? If you want to tell me something , just get straight to the point ! Stop beating about the bush !" Kaidoh shouted . His eyes was filled with anger and rage . He clenched his fist hard .

"Okay , fine . I don't care anymore if you want to hang around him . But I want to know why is Chiyo hanging out with the both of you .."

"That's none of your business . Who she hangs out with is non of your business .."

Momoshiro then folded his arms .

"That's strange right ? Even after the others told her about echizen's past .. she still hang out with him . What did you two do to her ? Or maybe you guys threatened her ? Is that why she keeps hanging around the two of you ?"

"What did you say ?!" Kaidoh was raging with anger . His voice started to get louder and he was about to charge at momoshiro .

"Maybe if I tell her something else , she might not even want to hang out with him anymore.." Momoshiro smiled evilly at kaidoh . This made kaidoh snap and he charged towards momoshiro . Grabbing him by the collar , he pushed momoshiro towards the wall .

"You already have sakuno ! Why are doing this ?! Can't you just leave echizen alone ?! Why are you trying to separate the both of them !? Why are you trying to make life so hard for him ?!" Kaidoh shouted .Momoshiro grabbed kaidoh by the hand and pushed him back .

"Don't touch me without my permission !"

Kaidoh was furious . He wanted to punch momoshiro , but he held back his anger and walked away .

"If you dare do anything to separate the both of them , I won't forgive you ..!" Kaidoh said in a angry tone and he walked out of the roof . Momoshiro stood there and stared at the direction of kaidoh , clenching his fist .

Back to ryoma …

The both of us were sitting down on a bench next to the school vending machine , drinking our drinks .

"You know , for a girl … you sure run fast ..." I told takanishi-san while holding my can of drink near my mouth .

"Is that so ? Well , then for a guy .. you sure are slow hehe !"

"Oh yeah ? We'll see about that ." I closed my eyes and took a sip from my drink .

"By the way echizen-san . You seem to like that drink a lot . I always see you drinking that ."

I opened my eyes and took a glance at her . Is she always noticing small details about me ? Well , that's one of her weird points . I continued to drink my ponta and finished the drink . I threw the empty can away in the rubbish bin and sat back down beside her .

"Compare to running and disappearing , looks like i'm faster than you in drinking .."

"Hey , I want to enjoy my drink you know . Besides , you drink too fast !"

She continued to drink . I looked at her and at what she was drinking . Hmm .. green tea .. Never tried it . Wonder if it taste weird . Sigh . What am I thinking ? I leaned back against the bench and closed my eyes . I felt the cool wind breeze blowing against my face and heard the sounds of birds chipping. Well , this feels good . I'm actually glad this place is rather quiet . Its usually quite noisy .

"Hey , I'm done drinking , lets head back to class . The bell is about to ring soon ."

"Yeah..."

I stood up and headed towards the direction of the school . Takanishi-san ran towards the rubbish bin next to the school lab . She threw the empty can into the bin when I heard a voice .

"Hey watch out !" someone shouted from above . Watch out ? I looked up and saw a pot of flowers falling from the sky . It was headed right towards Takanishi-san !

"Hey weirdo ! Look out !" I shouted and ran towards her . I grabbed her arm and pulled her towards me , away from where she was standing .

CRASH ! The pot crashed on to the floor and were in pieces .I looked down on to takanishi-san that was in my arms . She wasn't saying anything .

"H-hey .. weirdo ? Y-you okay ?" Why aren't you talking ? Please don't tell me you fainted ! Then , she moved and her head faced up to look at me . Our eyes made contact . There was silence all over . The both of us just stared at each other for sometime .

"Yeah .. i'm fine … wah that scared me … I thought I was gonna die .."

"You idiot ..." I released her from my arms and the both of us stood up .

People came running down from the stairs and headed towards takanishi-san . They crowded around her and bombed her with questions .

"Chiyo ! You okay ?!"

"Hey that was dangerous ! Why didn't you place the pot carefully ?!"

"Sorry ! Chiyo you okay ? You didn't get hurt right ?!"

Sigh , i'm going to head back to class now . I feel out of place here , plus , its too noisy . As I was about to walk away , takanishi-san grabbed hold of my hands .

"Hey thanks for saving me again...heh.. I realized that i'm always being saved by you ...so thanks .." She smiled at me . Everyone looked at us . Well , this is awkward .

"Its nothing ..." I moved away from where I was and started walking back to class .

"Hey wait up !" Takanishi-san shouted and walked beside me . I said nothing and walked back to class .

Meanwhile …

"Hey , that guy saved chiyo right ?" One of the students said .

"yeah .. he did ..i saw it from the class room .. he pulled her away before the pot crashed ."

"Maybe .. he's not as bad as we thought he might be ..."

"Plus Chiyo is always around him and she doesn't seem scared or uncomfortable .. she looks cheerful when she's around him .Maybe … echizen is a good person after all ..?"

They looked at each other with a confused look on their faces and headed back to class .

**Okay, seriosuly , I have no idea how to end this chapter so i'll just end it like this ? I hope its not that weird . Haha anyways . Here's chapter 13 ! hoped you like it ! Thanks thanks and thanks so much for all your support ! I really love you guys for all your reviews and encouragements ! Hearts ! XD **

**Disclaimer : I do not own POT :D**


	14. Chapter 14 : Sick

Sitting down on my seat , I looked out of the window . Today is quiet . It feels weird though .. too weird ! I mean , its not like I don't like the silence .But , the thing is … Its just TOO quiet ! I turned my head and looked at the empty desk next to mine . I haven't seen her all morning ! Lunch is going to be over soon . Where is she anyways ? She can't possibly be lost … I mean .. that's just crazy ! The classroom door slid opened and the teacher walked in .

"All right class , settle down !" He shouted across the classroom . Everyone went back to their seats and the most boring lesson begun . That's right .. English. Sigh . I took out my textbook and flipped through the pages .

"Why must the last two hours be English ?" someone said . I looked up and saw the two girls that were sitting in front of me whispering to each other .

"I know right ? Sigh , Chiyo sure is lucky . She's not in school today ."

Not in school today ? Did she have extra work back at the restaurant ? No , if there was , manager would have called me as well .

"I heard she caught a cold ..."

A cold huh ? So the weird queen actually caught a cold .

"Yeah ,I hope she's doing okay . She is living alone after all.."

Wait , that's right , her parents are not around anymore . So she is alone . I wonder if she's doing fine ? Ah , she's probably fine ..She's old enough to take care of herself . Why am I worrying about her in the first place ?! Echizen Ryoma , you are not going to worry ! You are not going to be bothered by something as small as a cold !

3 hours later …

I hate myself ..I thought I told myself not to worry ...So why the hell am I standing in front of takanishi-san's apartment, pacing around like a complete idiot ?! Should I ring the god damn bell or Not ? God I swear I am going to kill myself !

*Ding dong ..* I rang it . I stood there and waited for sometime .

(5minutes later...)

*Ding dong...*

(Another five minutes later)

*Ding dong...*

This is starting to get on my nerves ! I have been standing here for the last ten minutes and no one is answering the god damn door !

"Hey weirdo ! You in ?" I shouted but there was no reply . I starting banging the door . No one answered . Maybe she's not in .. Man , if I see her at work , I am going to kill her ! As I was about to leave , I heard a soft cry . I stopped and I listened closer . It was a cat's meow . I looked at the window and I saw kiki standing on the other side of the window behind the curtain . She kept scratching the window as if she was begging me to let her out . I thought something was wrong so I looked around to see if I could see what was happening inside . I walked up and down but I still can't see the inside of the house .

"Ah , are you a friend of Chiyo-san ?" I turned and saw a lady standing there .

"Ah.. well ..yeah.." I told her . Who is she ? The landlady ?

"Is she home yet ? I need to collect this months rent by today or else I can't pay for the electrical bill ..I haven't been able to contact her since this morning .. I hope she's not in some sort of trouble ..."

Yep , I guessed it . The landlady . Wait , she said since this morning . If she's got a cold , she should have been at home all this while . But the landlady said she can't be contacted since morning . Don't tell me …!

"Erm ,miss landlady... do you perhaps have the key to her apartment ?" This is stupid but its worth a try .

"Yes .. I do but what do you need it for ..?"

Erm .. what now ?!  
"I'm her classmate and my teacher told me to check in on her to see if she's okay . She caught a cold . But she's not answering the door so I thought maybe something might have happened so-" before I could continue , the landlady cut me off .

"AH ! So you're her boyfriend !" she shouted .

What ?

"Just give me a moment !" She ran down the stairs , back up and placed a key in my palms . "Here you go ! Now if you'll excuse me , I have to go back home to prepare dinner .I'll be back to check up on the two of you later ! See ya !"

Before I could say anything else , the lady disappeared from my sight in a split second . What the hell ?! I wanted to ask her to check in on takanishi-san , so why am I the one doing the job ?! Are all Aunties like this ?! And I am not her boyfriend ! Sigh . I took the key and opened the door . I stepped into the apartment . The house was filled with complete silence .

"Hey .. weirdo..?" I walked in to the living room . Takanishi-san's cat , Kiki, meowed . I looked down and saw her rubbing herself on my leg . She then ran off to one of the rooms and meowed . I followed her . As I entered the room , I saw takanishi-san lying down on the floor . She wasn't moving .

"Hey Weirdo ?!" I shouted and ran over to her . I helped her up in my arms . I felt her body heat , she's burning and she was breathing heavily. I used my other hand to feel her forehead . What the- she's having a high fever !

"Oi takanishi-san ! Hang in there !" I shouted and shook her . I carried her up and walked towards her bed . I placed her down and covered her with the blanket . Now what ? That's right , cooling pad ! I ran to the kitchen and searched the cupboards . What the hell ? No , cooling pad , no fever medication ! Nothing ?! This is ridiculous ! I look like a complete clown now ! I stormed out of her house and ran to the nearest convenience store . I grabbed a box of cooling pads and some cold medication and headed back to her apartment .

"This is worse than working on a Friday night shift !" I said as I pulled my neck tie off . I took off my school jacket and pulled my sleeve up .Using a towel , I wiped the sweat off takanishi-san's face and neck and placed the cooling pad on her head . She can't take her medicine without eating anything . So .. For a sick person .. porridge should be best . Plain porridge .. I just have to boil rice in water only . It shouldn't be hard . I went to the kitchen to prepare the porridge . After that I just have to wait for 30 minutes and it'll be ready . I walked out of the kitchen and collapsed on the sofa .

"Ah ...i'm exhausted !" Who would have thought that taking care of a person is this hard ..

Ring ring ..ring ring .. my phone rang . Oishi-senpai ? Why is he calling me ? I picked it up .

"Echizen !" He shouted across the phone . Ah what the hell ?!

"Oishi-senpai stop shouting on the phone !" I heard kaidoh-senpai on the line . "Echizen .. where are you ? Manager told me you took the day off ...are you okay ?"

"Ah … i'm fine ...i was just..."

"Just ?"

"..Its nothing .."

"I see , well if you need anything ..you can give me a call .."

"Okay... well then ...I'll see you at school ...Bye"

I hung up and sighed . Oishi-senpai is really … I got no comment .. I closed my eyes and I was about to take a few minutes nap . I need a rest .

*Ding dong *

NOW WHAT ?! I jumped up from the sofa and stormed to the front door . I opened it .

"Yes ?!"

The landlady stood there and stared at me .

"Oh its you landlady..."

"Yes its me .. is chiyo-san home ?" she asked .

"She's home but … she's not feeling well right now...and she's bedridden ."

"Oh dear … what to do … I need to get the fees by today ..." she said with a worried look on her face .

Fees ? You mean the rental fees ?You're worried about that ?! And I thought you were worried about her health !

"..Can't you get it from her tomorrow ?"

"I need to pay the electrical bills by today ..or else...oh I know ! As her boyfriend , why don't you help her pay for the bills first ?" She grabbed my hands .

"I-"

"Oh come on , you can right ? Can't you do this poor lady a favor ?" she looked at me with puppy eyes . Wh-why has it come to this ?!

(Five minutes later ...)

I handed Five hundred dollars to the lady .

"Thank you so much ! Chiyo-san is really fortunate to have such a nice boyfriend ! I won't disturb the two of you anymore .I hope the both of you a nice night !" She walked away and disappeared from the corridor in a split second again . For the last time , I am not her boyfriend ! And what did she say ? She hope the both of us a nice night ?! What is she trying to say ?! Thank god I'm not renting an apartment ! Then , the aroma of the porridge filled the air .

"Crap ! I forgot about the porridge !" I ran to the kitchen and turned off the fire . I scooped some into a bowl and walked into takanishi-san's room . I placed it down on the table . I have to wake her up . I helped her up and shook her gently .

"Hey takanishi-san... wake up .. you have to eat something so that you can eat you medicine ."

Slowly , she opened her eyes and looked at me . She look weak .. she can't possibly hold the bowl of porridge .. Ah , there's no other way ... I held her up and she leaned on my chest . One of my arms went around her to support her , holding the bowl of porridge and the other held the spoon . I can't believe i'm doing this .. Slowly , I fed her the porridge , bit by bit . After she finished the porridge , I gave her the medication and she fell asleep after that . After cleaning the kitchen , I went to change her cooling pad . She seems better now.. maybe I should go ..

"...mummy.." Takanishi-san moaned . Is she dreaming ? "...Daddy... don't go..."

She's dreaming of her parents … I guess she really miss them , even though she doesn't show it .

"Don't go...don't leave me all alone …. I don't want to be alone ….i'm scared..."

I looked at her . I don't know why but... I just can't leave her alone like this .. I held her hands and squeezed it .

"Weirdo... you're not alone ...so don't be scared ..." I know how scary it is to be alone ..i know how it feels to be left alone, to be abandoned by the ones you love and trust . "Its okay ...everything is going to be okay..."

"Mummy...daddy... its..so lonely in the house without you ..."

You idiot … if you're so scared of being alone … why do you act like its nothing to you ? And yet .. you still smile like its nothing … being able to be so cheerful everyday . Compare to someone like me ...

"C-ch-chiyo..."

I released her hands and fell backwards . What did I just say ? What did I just call her ? I'm going crazy ! I walked out of the room and fell back on the sofa . What's going on with me ?! What's wrong with me ?! I can't think straight ! My mind is in a mess ! I don't know what's wrong with me ! All I know is that , I don't want anything to happen to her...

The next morning …

Chiyo POV :

I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling of my room . Looking around , I kept wondering what happened . The last thing I remembered was fainting on the ground , but now , i'm lying on my bed . I think I remembered someone calling my name . I got up and saw a cup of water and a box of flu medicine on my side table . I wonder who brought this ? Landlady ?There was also a cooling pad on my forehead. I stood up from my bed and walked out of my room . As I entered the living room , my eyes widened . Echizen-san was sleeping on my sofa with his hands on his forehead . I also saw a pot of porridge in the kitchen . Did he do all this ?

*Ring ring ~* The house phone rang . I went over and picked it up .

"Hello ?" I answered .

"Good morning , chiyo-san , are you feeling better already ?"

"Ah , ms landlady .. how did you know I was sick ?"

"Yesterday , as I was back from shopping , I saw your boyfriend pacing around outside your apartment . That's how I heard that you were sick . He was quite worried about you . Chiyo-san , you have such a nice and caring boyfriend . He even paid your rent for you , You should treasure him ."

"Erm , landlady he's not-" As I was about to say something , I heard a baby's cry .

"Oh dear , my son's calling me right now , I have to go ! Chiyo-san , take care !" She hung up the phone .

So , the person that was calling my name was echizen-san ? He took care of me when I was sick ? He paid my rent for me , bought the cold medicine and cooling pad , and he even fed me porridge .. Echizen-san did all this for me ..? I smiled and walked over to the sofa . I squatted down and stared at him .

"Thank you ...echizen-san..." I said softly . I looked at his sleeping face . I always thought he always put on a straight face in whatever he do , but , he looks kind of cute when he's sleeping . Unknowingly , I used my finger and poked his cheeks . He groaned and I fell back . His eyes open and he looked at me . His eyes widened and he sat back up .

"Er...so.. you're awake ?"

"Yeah.."

"...How are you feeling ?"

"I'm fine now , its all thanks to you ."

"...I didn't really do anything ..."

"You liar .. you bought cooling pads , cold medication and made porridge for me ! You even paid my rent for me ! You did a lot of things .."

"Well I..."

"I know . You don't have to say it . Come on , I'll heat up the porridge ! Lets have breakfast !" I walked towards the kitchen , but echizen-san grabbed me . I stopped and looked at him .

"You're still having a fever , so why don't you just sit down and i'll do the job .."

"But i'm feeling better already !"

He came over and placed his hands on my forehead .

"No... you're still having a fever ..."

"But..."

"No buts ! Stop being so stubborn and rest !" He shouted .

"O-okay..."

Why is he being so mean ? He's such a bully ..But .. I feel a little happy , hehe . I went in my room and changed clothes . After that , I walked out of the room and peek into the kitchen . I can't believe what i'm seeing ! Echizen-san is wearing an apron with his sleeve pulled up and he's holding a Ladle ! He looks like .. a house wife ! I took out my phone and took a shot of him secretly .

"What the hell are you doing there ?"

"Hehe , nothing , I just got something nice !"

"Huh ? Anyways here ..." He placed two bowls of porridge on the dining table and he took the apron off . The both of us sat down and ate the porridge . I didn't remember the taste of the porridge last night but it taste pretty good !

"You're a pretty good cook yourself !" I said .

"Hmmm..." he replied . Seriously , can't he be at least a little happy ?

"Thanks .. for eveyrthing ..." he's always there whenever i'm in trouble .

"You don't have to thank me every time... Its nothing ..."

Even though you say its nothing , Its something to me . I continued to eat my porridge until I remembered something .

"Hey , what about school ?"

He stopped eating and then he stood up all of a sudden , surprising me .

"Damn it ! I forgot to set the phone alarm !"

**Done done and done wahahahahahaha ! Okay I am starting on the next chapter already ! So it won't be long before I upload the next chapter ! Hoped you enjoyed this chapter ! Hehe , ryoma took care of chiyo ! I really enjoyed writing this chapter :D Wahaha . Thanks for all the support guys ! I know that there are some errors in my chapters . I will try to change them if I have the time and i'm trying my best to avoid the errors ! Hope you'll keep on reading . Hearts XD**

**Disclaimer : I do not own POT :D**


	15. Chapter 15 : School festival Part 1

I looked down from the school rooftop .Instead of having afternoon classes , Everyone is running around carrying some wooden cardboards and other art materials . Wondering what's going on ? Well , the school festival is coming up next week and everyone is busy preparing for it . So , the school made the time after lunch a time to prepare for the festival . Then , a hand covered my eyes .

"Guess who ?"

"Stop playing around weirdo.." I took her hands off and turned around . Takanishi-san was standing there and ..what the hell is she wearing ?!

"You're no fun at all !" She pouted .

"Its not fun to play lame games . By the way... what are you wearing ?" I looked at her and raised one of my eyebrows .

"Oh this ? This is a costume for the school festival !" she smiled and made a three hundred and sixty degrees turn. She was wearing a bear outfit . "How does it look ?"

"...you look weird ..."

"Hey , you're a meany !" she folded her hands and turned her back at me . Pfft , I was only joking . She don't have to be so serious . I walked over and placed my hands on her head .

"I'm joking … it suits you ..." I said and walked away . I can't believe I just said that !

Chiyo POV :

I stood there in silence as I watch echizen-san walk away . He patted my head … He said the outfit suits me .. I could feel my face getting hot . I ..i can't be blushing right ? Wh-why am I feeling so weird ! Why am I feeling all flustered inside ! I feel weird ! Am I sick or what ? He turned around .

"Oi weirdo … how long are you going to stand there like a complete idiot ?" he shouted .

I snapped out of my thoughts and ran towards him .

"Sorry , I was thinking about something ..." I told him . He kept quiet and the both of us walked back to the classroom . Everyone was busy with the classroom decoration . Ah , I better get out of these clothes before I ruin it ! I unzipped it and stepped out of the bear outfit .

"Wah it's so hot in there !" I said in relief .

"Only an idiot would wear it ..." echizen-san said .

"Well , I wanted to try it out , since I won't be able to wear it on the festival day ."

"You're in charge of giving out the flyers and showing people around right ..?"

"Well yeah !" How did he know ? I'm sure I didn't tell anyone . How did the news reach him that fast !

"Well good luck ..."

"What about you echizen-san ?" I walked in front of him and stared at him .

"Nothing ..."

What ?! Nothing ?! But ..

"But.. I thought everyone has a role ! Didn't you get one during the class meeting ?"

"I ...skipped it ..."

"No way ! I saw you there !"

"I slipped away when you weren't looking ..." he turned his head and covered his mouth . I stood there and stared at him . He slipped away ? Seriously ? Pfft ! I want to laugh ! Hehe , that's so like him . I covered my mouth and laughed a little to myself .

"What ?" He asked while looking at me .

"Nothing , I just thought that you're someone who'd do something like that , hehe ! So you're basically free on that day right ? How about this , help me out with the flyers !" I asked . At least he would have something to do .

"No way … i'm going to take a nap on the roof .." he said and walked out of the classroom . Hey , we just came back to class and now he's going out again ?! He's weirder than me ! Okay , why am I acknowledging the fact that i'm weird ?

"But that's unfair !" I started to ran towards him but then someone grabbed my elbow . I stopped and turned around . Eh , Sakuno-chan ?

"Sakuno-chan , is there something wrong ?" I asked . She looked at me with a worried face . What's wrong ? She looks a little weird . Geh ! Why am I calling people weird ?! I'm being influenced by echizen-san !

"Can we talk ?" She looked at me .

"Er..well..okay .." I nodded and followed her out of the classroom . I wonder what she wants to talk about . She usually don't talk to me , so I wonder what's going on . She walked out of the school and to the back garden . She stopped .

"Erm , sakuno .. is there something wrong ?" I asked .

"Chiyo-chan .. why do you keep hanging out with ryoma-kun.." She asked with her back facing me . Why , you ask ? And she called him...ryoma-kun. Why do I have this weird feeling in my chest .

"Well , he's my friend ."

"What about the things that he did ? I'm pretty sure you know what happened between sakuno and him ." A voice came out from behind . I turned around and saw Horio-kun , katsuo-kun , katchiro-kun and Tomoka-chan standing there . What are they doing here ? I thought sakuno wanted to talk to me alone !

"But that's all in the past and-" Before I could complete my sentence , Horio-kun cut me off .

"Even though its in the past , that doesn't mean it didn't happen chiyo ! Please , stop hanging around him anymore !"

"He's not someone you should be with ! You'll regret it !" Katsuo-kun shouted .

"That's right chiyo-chan ! You'll only going to get hurt if you're with him !" katchiro joined in . Why are they like this ? Some of the people in class are already starting to have a different view of echizen-san .They're slowly starting to talk him , even though he always ignores them . But why are they being like this ?

"You know … he cheated on me two years ago .. with someone that he just met . He's a jerk and you shouldn't stay around him . Chiyo , open your eyes ! He's a jerk that doesn't knows his mistakes !" sakuno walked over and stood beside tomoka . No ! That's not true ! He's not someone that will do something like that ! I don't know how I know that but... I just do ! Echizen-san is … echizen-san Is...

"Echizen-san is-" a hand came over me and covered my mouth . Mmph ! Who is it ? Why am I always cut off whenever I want to say something ! I looked up . Geh ?! Echizen-san ?! Why is he here ? Did he hear everything ? This is bad .. I took his hands off my mouth .

"What are you doing here ?" I asked . I was pretty sure he went to take a nap !

"Sensei is looking for you , you better head to the library .."

"Eh really ?"

He gave the same face he always shown me .

"Okay then ..." I walked towards the stairs . I stopped and looked back at echizen-san . Will he be alright ? I hope he's not hurt by the comments that the others said . Oh , what am I saying . I better head to the library !

Back at ryoma …

After Takanishi-san left , I turned around and faced the five people that I despised .

"You ! How long are you going to be around chiyo ! Leave her alone already !" Horio shouted at me .

"That's right ! You're just a scum that toy with people's feelings !" Katsuo shouted .

"Yeah ! Do you know how sakuno felt when she found out you cheated on her ?! And do you know how momoshiro-senpai felt when you betrayed him ?! " Osakada shouted again .

"Leave her alone jerk , you're a player and a traitor . Both to momo-senpai and the other regulars !" Katchiro shouted .

AH ! So noisy ! Why do people shout ? Its so god damn irritating ! Not to mention from the people I hate ! Playing with feelings ? Do they actually know what they're saying ? I didn't play with her feelings , She played with mine ! And what's this about betraying the other regulars ?!

"Let me ask you this ? What do you know about me ?" I took a step towards them .

"What ? We know-"

"What do you know about betrayal ? How does it feels to be betrayed and played with ? Do you know how it feels ?" I took another step closer . They kept quiet .

"What do you mean how it feels ?! It obviously hurt a lot !" horio shouted .

"You're right .. It hurts .." I glared at him which made him fall backwards . I smirked at him and walked away . As I walked pass ryuzaki-san , I gave her a deadly glare . I really feel like punching them ! I'm just so angry !

After school...

Sigh , I can't believe I even bothered to deal with that bunch of people ! What a waste of my time ! School has already ended , so lets just head off to work . My phone vibrated . I took it out . What ? A message from kaidoh-senpai ? I flipped it open .

_'echizen , i'll head off first . I'm meeting Oishi-senpai for something important ..see you later ..' _

See you later ? But i'll only be seeing him in school tomorrow andhe's not working part time at the restaurant anymore .So..what's this about seeing me later ? Ah whatever ! I stood at the school gate and waited for takanishi-san . She told me to wait for her at the gate , so where the hell is she ? Its already been ten minutes ! Usually , she's the one that waits for me . I leaned against the wall next to the gates and waited . I took out my phone and browsed through the internet . As I was waiting for takanishi-san , a group of people walked towards me . I looked up . Ah great .. not them again !

"Oh , echizen.. why are you still in school ?" Momoshiro-senpai stood there and smiled at me . Tsk , go away ..I was about to leave when I heard takanishi-san's voice . I turned around and saw her running towards me from the school garden .

"Sorry for being late !" She panted .

"Its fine ..." I said .

Momoshiro-senpai , osakada , ryuzaki-san , horio , katsuo and katchiro stood there and stared at the both of us . Momoshiro-senpai and I glared at each other . Takanishi-san looked at them and then at me .

"Er...is something wrong ?" she asked .

"...Nothing ..." I walked away ."You coming or what ?"

"Of course i'm coming !" she shouted and walked beside me .

"You're late ..."

"Hey , I was busy with the final preparation for the school festival ! It's tomorrow you know ?" she exclaimed .

"Sigh , why must it be on a Saturday ?" If I could , I wouldn't come at all ! But , i'll have to serve detention if i'm absent .. it is a compulsory event for the school after all .. Sigh .

"Lets enjoy ourselves alright echizen-san ?"

"Yeah..." But .. even still .. somehow , I want to go . Maybe its because .. she's there ..

At work...

You have got to be kidding me ! Why is Kaidoh-senpai and Oishi-senpai here ?

"W-why are you here ?"

"Oh echizen ! The both of us talked about how we enjoyed working here with you and chiyo-chan , so we decided to take up part time here for real ! Isn't that great ? Now we'll get to see each other everyday !" Oishi-senpai cried in happiness . The hell its great ! It just means the room will have more people and its going to be more noisy !

"Isn't it great echizen-san ? Right Oishi-senpai ?" Takanishi-san smiled at me and Oishi-senpai .

"That's right !" He high five-ed takanishi-san . Are the two of them the hyper duo?! I just don't get them at all ! Sigh .. today is going to be a tiring day for me .. and tomorrow ..

The day of the festival ..

Many people gathered at the front of the school . The school student council president walked up to the stand with a microphone .

"Thank you all for coming ! We now declare the school annual festival open !" He shouted and and sounded an alarm . Everyone cheered and clapped theirs hands . Okay , that's the signal for me to go up the roof and-

"Echizen-san !" Takanishi-san popped out in front of me.

"Do you always have to do that !?"

"What ?"

"Popping out of no where .."

"Hehe , you just didn't noticed me . Anyways , come on ! Lets enjoy the festival !" she grabbed my hands .

"Wait , don't you have work to do ? What happen to showing visitors around and giving out flyers ?"

"Oh , my shift is in two hours ! So I can have some fun now ! Come on !" She dragged me towards the place where stores are set up . She really is ...Unbelievable . First, she dragged me to a store that was selling chocolate bananas .

"Here ! Chocolate bananas are the best !" Takanishi-san handed me one .

"..Thanks.." I took it and took a bite . Hmm , not to shabby .. but I guess its okay . I took another bite and looked at takanishi-san who was smiling while eating her chocolate banana . She looks happy . Heh , she can be cute sometimes ...Ack ! What am I thinking ?! After that , she brought me to a game stall . The game requires you to use a ball to hit a mountain of cans .

"I heard your aim is pretty good !" she said .

"Well , sort of .."

Then , she handed me a ball .

"Prove it ! Hehe , try the game !"

Why should I ? Its just a waste of time …

"No way ..."

"Why not ? Unless you can't hit it ?" She smiled at me . What ?! I can definitely hit it !

"Give me the ball..." I said .

"Huh ?"

"Ah , I said give me the ball !" I said in frustration . She passed it to me and I threw it towards the mountain of cans . The mountain of cans collapsed and the student that was handling the stall stared at me with his eyes wide open .  
"Wah ! That's incredible echizen-san !" takanishi-san jumped up and down in excitement . Obviously . This is nothing for me .

"Lets go somewhere else ! Come on !" She ran off by herself . Heh , she sure is lively . But before I left , the person called out to me .

"Eh..wait ...echizen right ? Erm .. you have to pick a prize .."

"Prize ?"

Meanwhile …

A group of people stepped in front of seishun high school . They stood in front of the school gate and smiled .

"Its been a while since we came back here... right tezuka ?" Fuji asked .

"Ah.." tezuka replied .

**Hoho ! Finally I'm done ! So so soooooo sorry for the cliff hanger ! I know . Please forgive me :P Okay enough of my craps :D The regulars are back ! What's going to happen ? The school festival is not going to be a good one for ryoma . Or will it ? Hehe read to find out ! Sorry if there are some mistakes ! Hope you'll continue to support me ! Loves and hearts ! XD **

**Disclaimer : I do not own POT :D **


	16. Chapter 16 : School festival Part 2

The former regulars of the seigaku tennis team stood in front of the school gate .

"I wonder how is the tennis team doing !" Kawamura stood beside fuji and folded his arms .

"Nya ! I hope Kaidoh and momo is handling the team well !" The energetic kikumaru shouted as he jumped and hugged kawamura .

"What are we standing here for ? Lets go in .." Inui pushed his spectacles up .

"Yeah yeah ! I want to enjoy the festival !" Kikumaru shouted and skipped in the school . The rest smiled at each other and followed behind . As they entered the school , they were greeted by their juniors . Momoshiro , horio , katsuo , katchiro , tomoka and sakuno stood there and waved their hands .

"Oi ! Senpais ! Over here !" Momoshiro shouted . They walked towards momoshiro and the others .

"Saa Momo .. its been a while .." Fuji greeted him .

"Oh Fuji-senpai ! Nice to see you again ! Senpai-tachi too !" Momoshiro replied .

"Its nice to see you again momo !" Kawamura said . The others nodded . Inui looked around .

"I don't see kaidoh.. where is he ?" Inui asked in suspicion .

"Yeah ! We're finally back and he's not here ?" kikumaru pouted . Momoshiro and looked at horio and the others . He kept quiet until horio decided to speak up .

"Erm .. senpais ..actually ..kaidoh-senpai is..."

Back at ryoma …

"How much longer are you going to drag me around ?" I asked takanishi-san . She's been dragging me around the entire school ! I just want to take a nap ! God I am so tired !

"Eh ? I just wanted you to have fun at the festival too you know , do you hate it ..? ." she asked while looking down to the floor .Why is she being depressed ? I...i don't hate it ..

"I don't hate it .. I'm just a little tired ..." Geez , I'm even more tired trying to explain myself all the time !

"Oh I see , Well , Lets take a break over there !" Without saying anything else , she pulled me over to the bench under a tree and pushed me down on the bench . She stood there and smiled at me .

"You're not going to sit down ?" I asked .

"No, I have to go soon . Its going to be my turn to hand out the flyers soon ."

"Hmm.. I see .."

"I'll see you later !" She said and ran off . Idiot .. Can't she let me speak ? And I wanted to hand her something . Geez , she disappear too fast . But , I can't believe i'm actually enjoying myself . It was ….Kinda fun ...Heh.. Ah ! I'm losing my mind ! I leaned forward and scratched my head . What's happening to me ..? No , it can't be ..I can't possibly be ..

"Well well well .. look who we have here .." A voice came from behind . That voice ! I jumped up from my seat and turned around . There , stood the friends that left me , the friends whom I thought believed me , the friends that I trusted , the friends that betrayed me , the friends that left a scar in my heart . I clenched my fist . I'm guessing they're here for the festival . I'm not going associated with them ! I started to walk away until momoshiro-senpai came over and grabbed me by the elbow .

"Echizen ,hey , if you like , why don't you join us for lunch later ? We could catch up on each other " he smiled . What the hells is he doing ?! Join you guys for lunch ? Are you shitting me ?!

"Momo ! Why are you inviting someone like him for lunch ?! Didn't you forget what he did to you two years ago ?!" Kikumaru-senpai shouted .

"Its fine senpai ! I don't hold it in my heart !"

You don't , but I do ! I absolutely despised you ! I shoved his hands away from me and took a step back .

"No Thank you !" I shouted and walked away . What a hypocrite ! Is he trying to be nice in front of everyone . Saying that he don't mind ! He's probably trying to look innocent on front of the others and making me the bad guy ! AH ! Why do I care !? I don't give a damn anymore ! BUMP ! I bumped into someone . Who the hell ?! I looked up .

"E-echizen ! Are you okay ?!" Oishi-senpai stood there . He reached out towards me and helped me up . Kaidoh-senpai walked out from behind Oishi-senpai .

"Oishi-senpai ...kaidoh-senpai ..."

"Is something wrong echizen ? You look distracted ." Oishi-senpai asked with a worried look on his face .

"I'm fine ..."

"You don't look fine at all ! You look pale !"

"If there's something on your mind , you can tell us ..." Kaidoh-senpai said . He placed his hands on my shoulder . I know they're concerned about me . But , I don't want them to worry about me .

"I'm fine … just tired ..."

Oishi-senpai and kaidoh-senpai looked at each other .

"Well if you say so ...I'm going to the tennis court to settle something with the student council president .." kaidoh-senpai said .

"Wait ! Settle something ?! You're not fighting right ?! Its bad to fight kaidoh !" oishi-senpai shouted . Well , here comes the mother hen .

"Oishi-senpai ...i'm not going to fight ...just to do something that's all..." kaidoh-senpai face palmed .

"Eh ? Is that so ? Then i'll come with you , I haven't see the tennis courts in a long time ! Echizen , wanna come ?"

"No..i'm going to get a drink..."

"Okay ! We'll come find you later !" They walked away towards the tennis courts . I sighed and walked towards the vending machine . Sigh , i'm glad that's over . I looked at my watch . Lunch is going to be in two hours .. maybe I should take a nap under a tree after i get a drink. . I'll head to the roof later .. After all.. she's going to be there for lunch ...

"You're late !" She jumped in front of me as I entered the roof .

"Sorry, I was caught up in something ..." I overslept ..Damn .

"Did you just apologized to me ?" She looked at me with her eyes wide open .

"N-no !" Ah ! What the hell am I saying ? All of a sudden she grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the roof . What is going on ? Aren't we going to have lunch ? Where is she taking me ?

"Hey weirdo , where are you taking me ?"

She didn't say anything . Instead , she just kept walking . The both of us walked until we reached a place behind the school . We faced trees and bushes .

"I want to show you something !" She smiled at me and walked into the bushes . I followed her and then a ray of light blinded me for a few seconds . I opened my eyes and my eyes widened as I stood before a beautiful view of a river . Isn't this … the river that was behind the school ?!

"Its pretty right ? I found this when I was taking a break ."

This view ...

"...Yeah..." Its really beautiful . I thought that the view from above was magnificent . But , this is different . I've never seen something so beautiful . Seeing this , makes me forget about my encounter with the others . I feel better already .

"Lets have lunch here !"

"..okay.."

The both of us sat down under a tree and started eating our lunch .

"Hmm .. so you're having octopus weiners and omelet eggs as your side dishes today .." I said while looking at takanishi-san's lunch box .

"You want some ?" she picked up a weiner with her chopsticks .

"No-" she stuffed it in my mouth before I could say anything else .

"Haha , surprised ?"

Surprised ? No ! I'm annoyed ! I grabbed her chopsticks and did the same to her . After she swallowed it , she stared at me .

"Hey what was that for !" she shouted .

"Payback for what you did.." I closed my eyes . Heh , teasing her sure is fun .

"You ! You're going to get it now !" She reached out to me and messed with my hair .

"Hey weirdo stop playing with my hair !"

She stuck her tongue out and laughed .

"No way , this is payback too !"

"Then i'm going to mess your hair up too !"

"I'm not letting you hehe !"

I reached out for the hair but she dodged it . Ah She's going to get it !

Meanwhile...

"Hey guys , i'm going to the back of the school . Its been a long time since i've seen the river." Fuji smiled . Kikumaru jumped up with excitement.

"I want to go too !"

"That's a great idea fuji ! The place is really beautiful ! Why don't all of us go ?" Kawamura asked the others . The rest of the gang looked at each other and nodded in agreement . They started making their way towards the back of the school where the river was . However , little did they know that ryoma and chiyo were there . As they approached the bushes , kikumaru shot momoshiro a question .

"By the way Momo , how far have you gone with saku-chan ?" Kikumaru asked with a evil smile on his face . This made momoshiro and sakuno blushed in embarrassment .

"Wh-what do you mean senpai ?"

"Hehe , you know what I mean ." He walked over and nudged momoshiro in the arm . "Have you guys done _that_ ?"

"What are you saying senpai ! Of course we-"

"Where the hell did you get that photo ?!" A voice cut momoshiro off before he could say anything else . Momoshiro and the others looked at each other .

"Is someone here ?" Tezuka asked .

"No .. i'm pretty sure no one other than us know about this place ..." fuji said .

"But I definitely heard someone !" kawamura nodded .

"I think I heard that voice somewhere before .."Inui stood there and pushed his spectacles up .

"Now that you mentioned it .. It does sound familiar .." momoshiro frowned . Tezuka sighed . He stood forward and pushed the bushes a side .

"Instead of just standing here , why don't we just go and see ?" He walked into the bushes . The others followed behind him . As they reached the end of the bushes , tezuka pushed some leaves aside and took a peek from the side . They stood there as they saw ryoma and chiyo teasing each other .

"I got it from manager ! Hehe ! He took it when you weren't looking !" chiyo smiled while holding on to her mobile phone . Ryoma was trying to grab her phone but she kept dodging his hands . She stood up and ran away from ryoma . Ryoma stood up and chased after her .

"Erase that ridiculous photo !" he shouted .

"No way ! Its not ridiculous at all ! Besides , you look rather cute in the bunny outfit !"

Ryoma twitched . He was literally screaming in his mind .

"Once I get my hands on you , you're dead !"

Tezuka and the others were watching the entire scene . They hid behind a tree and watched everything .

"What's he doing here ?!" Kikumaru asked .

"Who's that girl that's with him ?" Kawamura followed .

"Momo.. do you know ?" Fuji asked as he turn to look at momoshiro. Momoshiro folded his arms and glared at the two that were literally chasing each other . Horio stepped out and cleared his throat .

"She's Takanishi chiyo . She's a popular girl in our class .."

"Why does she want to hang out with a guy like echizen ?! And she's such a cutie too !" Kikumaru shouted .

Ryoma stopped running . He squatted down and panted .

"I give up … *pant* *pant*"

Chiyo walked over and bent down to look at the exhausted ryoma .

"Are you really a tennis player ? You have no stamina at all ."

"Excuse me ?"

"I always thought tennis players- WAH ?!"

Ryoma stood up all of a sudden and grabbed both of her hands . He closed one of his eyes and stuck his tongue out .

"Baka .." he said as he took the phone from her .

"Hey ! That's unfair ! You cheated !" she reached out for her phone but she stepped onto ryoma's shoe lace and lost her balance . She fell towards ryoma and the both of them dropped to the ground . BUMP!

"What are you doing weirdo ?" Ryoma groaned .

"Sorry ." Chiyo said . She raised her head . Their eyes met and they stared at each other .There was a long and awkward silence. They could hear each others heartbeat . Chiyo's face slowly turned red . Out of nowhere , there was a loud beep .

"What was that ?" Chiyo asked .

"Oh , nothing . Just me deleting the photo on your phone .." Ryoma said .

"What ?"

"Anyways .. how long are you going to stay like this ?"

Chiyo's face turned bright red and she jumped up immediately . Ryoma got up and returned the phone back to chiyo .

"Here..Finally that photo is a goner .."

"No its not ."Chiyo smiled .

"What ? Wait ! What do you mean its not a goner ? I deleted it myself !"

"Tee hee , i'm not telling you !" She walked towards the bushed where momoshiro and the others were . They shifted to the sides and hid behind some bushes . They watched as chiyo and ryoma walked pass them .

"What was that all about ?!" Kikumaru jumped out of the bushes once the two of them were no longer around .

"It can't be echizen's girlfriend right ?"

"No she's not his girlfriend . She just hangs around him a lot ..That's all .." Momoshiro explained .

"But … even so .. she looked happy when she's with echizen . And also , echizen was smiling . They looked like they were having fun .." Inui said while scratching his chin .

"Hmm... what do you think tezuka ?" Fuji turned around and looked at tezuka who was reading his book .

"Hmm.."

Momoshiro looked at his watch .

"Senpais , lets head to the tennis court !"

"Why?"

"You'll know it when we get there ."

Back at ryoma ..

What was that just now ? Did I just hear my own heart beating ? And why did I just think that takanishi-san looked cute when she blush ?! Echizen ryoma ! Get a grip on yourself ! You're just tired and shocked from the encounter with them ! That's all ! And she's just a weird girl that's your friend . There's no other meaning to what you're feeling inside ! She's just a friend ! Just a friend !

"Oi ! Echizen !" Oishi-senpai came running to me .

"Oishi-senpai ? What's wrong ?"

"Hi there Oishi-senpai !" Takanishi-san greeted him .

"Oh chiyo , you're here too ! Well come one then !"

"Where to ?" Takanishi-san and I both asked at the same time .

"Just come ! The special event for the school festival is about to start !" With that , he dragged the both of us . When I realized it , we were dragged to the tennis courts . What are we doing here ?! I shot a stare at Oishi-senpai .

"Woah calm down echizen ! I'm not dragging you here to play tennis ! Its just that , the event will be held here and kaidoh is in charge of it so i'm practically alone right now . Won't you stay with me for the event ?"

Sigh .

"Fine...what about you weirdo ?"

"Wait ,i just remembered something ! Sorry oishi-senpai . Maybe i'll join you guys later !" She ran off and waved goodbye . I wonder what kind of event is going to take place . I sighed and took a seat next to oishi-senpai . I saw kaidoh-senpai walking towards us .

"Hey , there's kaidoh-senpai.."

"Oh you're right ! Hey kaidoh !"

Kaidoh-senpai nodded as he walked towards us .

"Oishi senpai .. echizen .. the event is about to start soon ."

"What kind of event is it ?" I asked as people started to crowd the area .

"I can't let you know yet … or else that stupid president will kill me .." He said while glaring at the student council president .

"Hmm..."

The student president took hold of the microphone and cleared his throat .

"Everyone , thank you all for coming to our school festival ! Now , a special event is about to take place right here , right now !"

Many people were cheering and clapping their hands . Some were even whistling . I looked around the court until my eyes met with the former seigaku regulars . All of them looked at me and we shot stares at each other .

"And now , our special event is ….. A tennis match against our very own vice-captain-Momoshiro takeshi from our school tennis team !"

Oishi-senpai and I looked at kaidoh-senpai . This is the special event ? Is the president crazy ?

"Oi , kaidoh .. why is it momo instead of you ? You're the captain right ?" Oishi-senpai asked .

"Its such a bother and I hate to show off ! Beside , that guy likes to show off right ?" Kaidoh-senpai looked at momoshiro-senpai who was already in the tennis court . He was waving his hands around as people cheered .

"So true .." Oishi-senpai and I said together .

Then , another member of the student council walked up to the president holding a box .

"In this box , there are names of our students here and one of them will be selected to challenge momoshiro ! If you are selected and you manages to win the match , there will be a grand prize waiting for you at the end ! And I mean .. really grand !"

"This is a waste of my time , i'm not going to sit here and watch that guy show off ..."

"But this is interesting .."

How so ?

I watched as the school student council president placed his hands in the box . I'm going to leave . They are crazy if they think i'm going to sit here and watch that guy play tennis .

"And the person to play against momoshiro is no other than …. from class 2A..."

I stood up and was about to walk away . Until...

"Echizen Ryoma !"

Cough* Cough* ! WHAT ?!

**Yay ! Ended already ! Wahahahahaha ! OMG OMG I can't wait to write the next one ! This time , ryoma is going to have to battle with momoshiro in a tennis match because of the special event ! What's going to happen ? Is he going to do it ? Read to find out ! Thanks for all the support guys ! Love you all ! XD Hope you'll continue to support me ! If there are errors , please bare with me ! I'm trying my best not to make stupid mistakes ! Hearts XD**

**Disclaimer : I do not own POT :D**


	17. Chapter 17 : You have us

I stood there , dumbfounded . Kaidoh-senpai and Oishi-senpai stared at me with both of their eyes wide open . The president is joking right ? Please tell me he's joking ! Because , I am not going to play tennis with that bastard !

"Echizen Ryoma ! Are you here ?" he shouted on the microphone . Damn , he's serious ! Che , I can just walk away right ?! If i'm not here , they'll just pick someone else ! Call me a coward if you want but I am not going to play tennis with him !

"Echizen , I know you're here !" Momoshiro-senpai shouted from the tennis court . Ignore him echizen ryoma . Just walk away !

"AH ! There he is !" Horio shouted and pointed his finger at me . Damn it ! Screw that guy !

"Oh , echizen ryoma ! Please make your way to the tennis court !" the president asked . Now , screw him ! Just walk away- What the hell ?! Two student from the student council came over and grabbed my arms .

"Oi ! What the hell are you doing !?" kaidoh-senpai said in a extremely pissed tone . The two students turned around and looked at kaidoh-senpai .

"Doing our job ?" The both of them dragged me in to the tennis court . Oishi-senpai and kaidoh-senpai followed behind me . Once we're in the courts , I shoved the two of them away from me . Damn it ! Don't touch me !

"Echizen ! You okay ?" Oishi-senpai asked .

"Damn it ! Why the hell am I even chosen for this stupid thing ?! I should just get out of here"

But then , I saw the two students that dragged me all the way here , locked the gate of the tennis court .

"Oi ! Why did you lock us in ?!" kaidoh-senpai shouted in disbelief .

"Because , we can't let our competitor to run away ..?"

Somebody kill them ! Now i'm stuck in the court ! What now ?! Momoshiro-senpai walked towards the net .

"Wow echizen , I can't believe we get to play tennis with each other again . I really missed it " he smiled at me .

"Drop the act momoshiro-senpai , I know you're faking that smile ."

He opened his eyes and his smile faded in to a smirk .

"I guess this is what we call fate huh .."

"I'm not going to do it ..."

"What ?"

"Why should I waste my time to play tennis with you ?!" I turned around and walked towards kaidoh-senpai . He probably has the capability to stop this nonsense . I am not going to-

"So you're just going to run away ?"

What ?!

"And I thought you were much stronger than this … ah ah , looks like i'm wrong . You're weak . Or maybe you're scared ? Heh , scared that you might lose to me ? Well , even if you are , I wouldn't blame you . You never played tennis anymore . So its obvious you're a coward . Ah I wouldn't want o play you either ! Just go and run away like a coward , Just like you did two years ago.."

Alright I have had enough of him ! If its a fight he wants , he gets it ! I grabbed a tennis racket that was nearby and walked towards the net .

"Fine ! If its a match you want , so be it !" I'm not going to just sit back and relax ! Not after what he said ! He smiled at me .

"Alright...I'll knock you down in front of the others and show what a loser you really are ."

"Fine by me ..!"

I know I said that i'm never going to play tennis again .. But , I'm not going to let him ridicule me anymore ! I've had enough of running away ! This time , i'm going to face him no matter what he throws at me ! I walked over to the bench and took off my tie . Oishi-senpai looked at me with a worried look on his face .

"Echizen .. you sure about this ? You don't know what he might do to you !"

"Oishi-senpai … you worry too much ..."

I walked in the courts and prepared for the match . Oishi-senpai and Kaidoh-senpai sat down at the bench and watched .

"One set match , Momoshiro to serve !" The referee shouted .

"Here I go !" he shouted as he threw the ball high up into the air .

Just try me !

The match begun . Momoshiro served and got a service ace . Ryoma didn't bother about it . In fact , he didn't shown any mercy . After Momoshiro took the first game .Ryoma started going all out on him . He took three games back in a row and which pushed momoshiro back . Momoshiro used his dunk smash and jack knife , but all of them were easily returned by ryoma . This made momoshiro desperate and he started to panic .

"Damn it ! At this rate , i'm going to end up as the laughing stock ! And it'll be a disgrace to lose to someone who is not on the tennis team ! Not to mention i'm also the vice-captain !" He thought to himself . Before he knew it , the ball landed on his side of the court and went pass him .

"Game , won by echizen ..4-1"

"You're not much of a challenge anyway ..even a three years old can beat you .."

"Momo ! What are you doing out there ? Hurry up and beat that kid !" Kikumaru shouted from the sides .

"Momoshiro is losing ..."

"What's going on ?"

The people who were watching the match whispered . This made momoshiro even more angry .

"Damn it ! I have to think of something fast ! Wait … hehehe .. I know just what to do .."

It was ryoma's serve . Just right after he served the ball , momoshiro spoke .

"I never thought you could play tennis again...even after sakuno left you … you still continued tennis ."

This made ryoma freeze and momoshiro scored a point . He served again .

"Ah ah .. you haven't changed a bit . But just to let you know , she never loved you ..."

Momoshiro scored another point again .Throughout the match , he kept on reminding ryoma of the unpleasant memories which made the game turn to his favor . Ryoma couldn't concentrate at all . Momoshiro managed to take back three games which made it a tie .

"Change court !" The referee shouted .

Ryoma walked to the bench and took a break .

"Echizen , you okay ? Maybe you should stop .." Oishi asked ryoma as ryoma wasn't looking too good .

"I'm fine ..."

"That son of a bitch ! I want to go over there and punch his face so that he will shut the hell up !" Kaidoh raged . Ryoma said nothing as he wiped his sweat away . He walked back into the court and faced momoshiro again . This time it was momoshiro's turn to serve .

"Echizen , even if you win this match . No one will bother .." he served and ran to the net . Ryoma also made his way to the net . The both of them were at the net and as ryoma was about to make a return , momoshiro said something which made ryoma freeze on the spot .

"because … no one cares about you ..."

Ryoma froze .

Chiyo..

I walked out of the classroom . Well , now that i've finished my work , lets go to the tennis court . As I headed towards the stairs , I bumped into someone .

"ah Sorry !" I bowed and apologized .

"Ah chiyo ! I've been looking everywhere for you !"

I looked up and saw a girl from my class .

"Ah Mira-san ! What's wrong ?"

"You better head to the tennis court soon ! Erm there's something wrong with echizen-san .."

Huh ?

"what do you mean ?" What did she meant that something was wrong with echizen-san ? Is he hurt ?!

"I don't know ! A guy name Oishi asked me if I knew you and he asked me to come and get you ! Anyways you better hurry !"

"Ah okay , erm Mira-san ?"

"Yeah ?"

"You seemed worried about echizen-san.."

"I-i'm not worried about him . I just thought that he may not be such a bad guy after all..."

"Thanks for coming to get me .."

I bowed and ran as fast as I could to the tennis court . What's wrong with echizen-san ? He's not hurt right ? My chest tightened . I feel so worried . Echizen-san please be okay ! I ran out of the school building and headed straight for the tennis court . Once I reached there , I looked around for echizen-san . I saw him inside the tennis court . I ran towards the court .

"Echizen-san ?" I grabbed on to the fence .

"Chiyo-chan you're here !" Oishi-senpai came over from the other side of the fence .

"I heard that something's not right with echizen-san !"

He looked over his shoulders with a worried look on his face .

"He's playing a match with momoshiro right now and he's on the losing end ! We tried calling out to him but he's not moving nor is he responding to our calls ..He just froze there."

"What ?"

"It must be because of the trauma he suffered ..."

"What trauma ?"  
"... Chiyo-chan ...Echizen wouldn't want me to tell you this but … you're probably the only person that can help him now.."

Oishi-senpai told echizen-san's story to me . My eyes widened as I continued to listen to Oishi-senpai . Echizen-san had such a painful past . That explains why he's so hostile towards people . I...i never knew … His family … his girlfriend and his best friend .. left him … all alone …Echizen-san …he's like me ...

"Chiyo you there ?"

I can't leave him alone ! He'll break ! I know how it feels to be left all alone ! I ran towards the gate of the tennis court . I tried to open it but its locked ?! What the hell !? Open the damn door already ! Echizen-san ! Hang in there !

Ryoma...

The game is already about to end ..I'm going to lose …?

I can't move . I can't hear . My mind is going blank . The only thing that keeps repeating itself in my mind are those few sentences ..

"_I never loved you ! I only used you !"_

"_We're getting a divorce and moving out of japan .. you'll be okay alone right ?"_

"_She never loved you !"_

"_No one cares about you !"_

Shut up !That's not it ! Its not true ! Stop it ! Stop it ! My head hurts ! I'm falling into darkness again ..

"_O-chibi !"_

"_Echizen !"_

Stop it ! Stop the memories from flowing in to my mind ! They're not my friends ! They all betrayed me ! Stop calling me like we're friends ! Stop it !

"_No one loves you ! That's why they left you ! You're all alone now !" a voice echoed my head ._

I'm ...I'm all alone ? Am I really alone ?No ! I don't believe you ! Who are you ?!

"_'Who am I ?I'm you , and you're me ! How can you not believe me ? Face it ! Mother and father left you ! No one wants you anymore !"_

No ..that's not it ..that's not ..it .. why ?

...Mom and dad left me … Karupin left me … My friends left me … All of them left me ...I'm ...alone …? I'm alone ...i'm.. i'm...

Someone save me …

"Echizen-san ?"

Who's there ?

"Echizen-san ..?"

From the darkness , I saw a small ray of light . From within that light , I heard a voice .The voice got louder . It sounds familiar and it's warm too . Who ?

"Echizen-san !"

Not a moment too long , I saw a shadow of a girl standing there . She walked towards me and held my hands . Its warm.. All of the sudden , the darkness around me disappeared and I regained my vision . I saw takanishi-san standing in front of me , holding my hands in hers . I looked at her . She gave me a smile .

"Its okay echizen-san ..its okay now ..."

"W-weirdo..?"

"Its fine now , you're not alone … you're not alone anymore .. you don't have to be afraid anymore . You don't have to care about what others say to you . You don't have to care about it at all . Because , its not who you are . You are you . You're not what others judge you to be . You're echizen ryoma . You're the person that helped me with my studies . You're the person that took care of me when i'm sick . You're a good person .. You never left me alone .. I'm not going to leave you alone .. Echizen-san , don't be afraid .. don't be afraid to play tennis again . You don't have to be afraid anymore … because... you have us.."

Oishi-senpai and kaidoh-senpai stood beside takanishi-san and together , they held my hands .. You guys...I felt a sense of warmth . I don't feel my trauma anymore .

"Hey ! Get off the court !"

"Shut the hell up ! Why don't you get off the court !" Oishi-senpai shouted which surprised everyone including tezuka-senpai and the others .The referee flinched and kept quiet .

"Echizen-san ?" she looked at me . Weirdo, Thanks . I took off my jacket and threw it to her .

"Keep that for me while I beat this guy's pants off .."

"Echizen-san !" She smiled . I turned around and gave her a smile . Her face turned red , heh . I turned back and faced momoshiro-senpai .

"Sorry about that ..Now , where were we ? Oh right ." I served the ball and it went right pass his face in a split second . He stood there , dumbfounded . I could see tezuka-senpai and the others shocked and dumbfounded face .

"Hey referee , i'm waiting for your call .."

"15-0!"

Chiyo...

Wow ! Its amazing ! Echizen-san is amazing ! I've watched tennis matches before but its nothing like this ! Echizen-san is so ...cool ! He's okay now ! I watched as he scored another point from momoshiro-senpai . He took a game back in a few minutes ! Echizen-san ! Echizen-san !

"Go for it echizen-san !" I shouted as loud as I could .

"Go echizen !" Oishi-senpai cheered .

"Go get a win !" Kaidoh-senpai shouted as he punched his fist up the air .

"Okay !" He shouted with confidence and scored another point . Its match point now ! Echizen-san you can do it ! As the ball approached him , he jumped up in the air and smashed the ball back to momoshiro-senpai's side of the court . What was that smash ? It's so fast !

"I haven't seen that move in a long time ! Right kaidoh ?" Oishi-senpai said in excitement .

"Yeah .. echizen's cyclone smash .."

"Game and match ! Echizen Ryoma ! 6-4 !" The referee shouted . Momoshiro-senpai stood there with his eyes wide open and he dropped his racket . I stood there and stared at echizen-san's face . He won ! Oh my god ! He won ! I watched as he raised his racket and pointed it at momoshiro-senpai .

"Mada mada dane !" he said with confidence .

"Echizen !" Oishi-senpai and kaidoh-senpai said at the same time .

Everyone watching the match was quiet . The entire court was quiet . There were some gasp and whispers . Oh whatever ! I don't care about that !The important thing is that he won the match ! I ran towards him and hugged him .

"Congratulations echizen-san !" I didn't know what I was doing but I just felt like hugging him . Oishi-senpai and kaidoh-senpai also came over and hugged us .

"Group hug !"

"Echizen ! Congratulations !"

I laughed and laughed . Then , the court was filled with cheers and whistling ! Everyone was cheering for echizen-san ! It was a great match ! This is great ! Can this day get any better ?

Ryoma...

Takanishi-san came over and hugged me . Kaidoh-senpai and Oishi-senpai came over as well . All of us group hugged . I...I've never felt so happy in such a long time . I feel really blessed now . Its all thanks to her . If it weren't for her , I'd probably be in a state of darkness forever . Thank you … Chiyo...

"Congratulations echizen ryoma ! And now , the prize you deserve !" he took a piece of paper out from his pocket . I wonder what kind of lame prize he's giving out ? A ticket to the Burger joint ? Who knows ? I don't care about that at all !

"A kiss from Takanishi chiyo !"

Wait , What ?!

"What ?!" takanishi-san shouted . "Hey president ! Why am I the prize ? You didn't get my permission !"

"Oh , its because you owe me !"

"Huh ?"

"Look there … you literally broke the gate down ..." he point to the tennis court gates . What the ? Did he say she broke the gate down ?! That's crazy ! Is she even human ?!

"Ah , I really did break it ...opps .."

"You're really something , you know that ?"

"Well the gate was locked and ..."

"And ?"

She turned her face away from me .

"I was worried about you..." She blushed . I stared at her and I used my hands to cover my mouth . What am I doing ? Why am I covering my mouth ?! I can't be ...blushing ? I looked away from her . God damn it ..

"Hey , how long are you going to make us wait ? Hurry up and kiss him already !" The president shouted . I am going to shut that guy's mouth up ! Who does he think he is ?! This is not funny ! Its not something to joke about !

"You don't have to kiss me …"

She looked at me . Sigh .. I turned around and glared at the president .

"I don't need it …"

"What ?"

"I said I don't need the god damn prize ! Takanishi-san is a girl , its not funny . I would appreciate it if you would respect other people's feelings ! Plus , its not something to joke about .."

The president stood there and stared at me like I was some sort of idiot .

"I don't get you echizen-kun … why would you turn down a kiss from someone popular ?"

"I don't need something like that ...and isn't that basically forcing her to do something she don't want to do ? I'm not going to do that … She has... always been there for me … and it's more than enough … I don't need anything else ..."

"Echizen-san ..." takanishi-san said .

"Lets go ..." I grabbed her wrist and walked out of the court . The president stared at me with his mouth wide open . I could hear people whispering to each other . I didn't care about that . The both of us walked to the back of the school next to the tennis team locker rooms . I released her hands. Kaidoh-senpai and oishi-senpai came running towards us .

"Echizen ! You were amazing back there !" Oishi-senpai shouted .

"You were even more amazing when you shut the president up !" Kaidoh-senpai patted my back .

"It was nothing ..."

"Echizen-san ..." Takanishi-san called out to me . I turned around and faced her .

"Do you really mean what you said ? Just now ..."

"...Yeah..." I replied . She looked at me with eyes wide open and the both of us stared at each other . The wind blew against our face . I stared into her eyes . This feeling i'm having .. Where have I felt this before ? I'm sure it was when Ryuzaki-san and I were together . No .. this feeling is different … It feels stronger … Face it ryoma … you're … you're...

"You've gotten strong echizen ..." someone called out to me from behind . I turned around and saw my former teammates standing there . What now ? Oishi-senpai and kaidoh-senpai frowned and stood beside me .

"What do you want ?" I asked .

"You're still rude and cocky as ever ..." Kawamura-senpai said while putting his hands on his hips .

"What did you say ?!" Kaidoh-senpai shouted as he clenched his fist . Why even bother with them ? They're just a waste of my time !

"Kaidoh ! What's wrong with you ?! We heard from horio that you've sided with that jerk ! Oishi too !" the red headed , kikumaru-senpai shouted back . Kaidoh-senpai was about to charge at him when Oishi-senpai stepped in front of him .

"Eiji ! What your language ! Echizen has a name ! Please stop calling him a jerk and also , the problem is not with us ! Its with you !"

"What ?! Fine ! I don't get you at all ! You people are the stupid ones !"

Inui-senpai stepped out and walked towards takanishi-san . What is he trying to do now ? I stepped in front of takanishi-san and shielded her from inui-senpai . Inui-senpai stopped and looked at me .

"What the hell do you want ?"

"I have no business with you echizen … instead , I want to have a chat with her . Takanishi chiyo right ? From my data .. it seems like you're quite popular .. Why is someone like you hanging out with someone like him ?"

"I-"

"Don't answer him ! He's not worth of you're time ." I cut her off .

"What ? You can't stop her from talking !" Kikumaru shouted and walked towards me . "You're blackmailing her right ?! That's why she's hanging out with you !"

"Eiji !" Oishi-senpai shouted . I said nothing and glared at them . From behind them , I saw horio , katsuo and katchiro running towards us . Argh , could this get any worse ?!

"What Oishi ! Stay out of this !"

"Kikumaru-senpai is right !" horio came over and pushed me aside . He grabbed on to takanishi-san . "Chiyo , he's got something on you right ?! What is it ? You can tell us !"

"That's right , we'll help you .." Fuji-senpai and the others crowd around her . Damn it !

"That's not it ! I...I..." Takanishi-san tried to say something but she can't. She looks pale . That's right , she's no good with people that she don't know ! Damn it ! Leave her alone ! Just target me ! Screw this !

"Look what you've done echizen , she's so scared that her face has turn white ! She don't even dare to tell us what you've done !"

Horio came over to me .Horio you god damn liar !

"You're such a jerk ! I already told you to leave her alone ! You're a spoiled brat ! You probably thought that chiyo is fun to play around with just because she's nice to you ! Its just the same with ryuzaki-san right ?! No wonder nobody wants to be around you ! Its because you played with people's feelings ! And that little show you put on at the tennis court ! Oh its so touching ! My foot ! You forced her to say those things and made it look like she cared for you right ?! Heh ! You can fool everyone else but not us ! It's no wonder your parents left you ! Because you're a rotten child that no one loves !"

Why you little-! Before I could do anything, takanishi-san went in front of me . What is this weirdo doing ? She can't handle him ! I was about to push her aside when she raised her hands in the air .Smack ! She whipped her hand across horio's face . I stood there with my eyes wide opened , speechless . Everyone stood there with a surprised look on their faces . Horio , was the most surprised .

"Chiyo.. why-"

"Take back what you said !" She shouted .

"But chiyo , I'm speaking the truth .."

"Its not the truth ! What you said about Echizen-san is not true at all !" She shouted at the top of her voice . "Echizen-san is … a very kind person … He cares about me . When i'm in danger , he saves me . When I need help , he helps me … When i'm sick … he took care of me . When i'm feeling down , he cheers me up .. When i'm alone … he's there for me . He's always been there for me ! He's not a jerk and he's most definitely not rotten ! Echizen-san is... echizen-san is ..." tears were flowing out of her eyes . Why .. is she crying ?

"ECHIZEN-SAN IS SPECIAL !" She cried . "So ..take back what you said... stop saying things like that about him...You don't know him at all..." She rubbed her eyes . Weirdo... You...

I walked over to her and grabbed her wrist . I looked at her for a while and I started to run away , pulling her along . The both of us ran to the river behind the school. We stopped running and I turned around and looked at takanishi-san . Tears were flowing out of her eyes .

"S-sorry ...i'm ..." She apologized .

"Why are you apologizing ?"

"Because .."

"Idiot ..." I walked over and squeezed her in my arms . "Why are you crying anyways ..?"

"I don't know...I... I just can't stand it .. They don't know what they're saying … the tears just came out on their own ..."

"...baka.." I continued to hug her . "Its okay now ..."

She nodded and she squeezed my sleeve . I can't believe what i'm doing … I just want her to calm down and stop crying . I closed my eyes and we stayed in that position until she stopped crying .

"I'm fine now echizen-san .. thank you .." She looked up at me and smiled .

"That's the weirdo I know ..." I released her and sat down on the floor . She came over and sat down beside me . We looked at the river and felt the wind blowing through against us .Sigh ..

"Echizen-san...Should we call kaidoh-senpai and oishi-senpai ? They don't know about this place and they're probably looking for us right now ..."

"It'll be fine . By the way , you can stop with the formalities ..."

"Huh ? What do you mean echizen-san-"

"Call me Ryoma ..."

"Eh ?"

"Echizen-san echizen-san , its getting annoying .. Just call me ryoma .."

"Okay..erm...ryoma-kun ?"

"Wrong ...Just ryoma ..."

"Oh .. okay ...erm...Ryo-ryoma …?"

When she called me that , my heart skipped a beat . Th-this is unexpected . But .. I feel kind of happy ..

"Yeah ?"

"Ah this is awkward !"

"You'll get used to it soon .."

"Oi echizen ! Chiyo ! Where are you ?" Oishi-senpai's voice called out to us . I stood up and reached my hands out to takanishi-san .

"Come on .. lets go .."

She looked at my hands and then she smiled . She grabbed my hands and I helped her up .

"Okay !" she said in a happy voice . Yep , she looks best when she's smiling and when she's happy .

Meanwhile …

"Horio , you okay ?" Katsuo and katchiro walked over towards horio . He said nothing .

"I can't believe chiyo slapped horio just for ryoma .."

"Yeah ...Anyways , i'm a little worried about momoshiro-senpai.."

"What's wrong with momo ?" Kikumaru asked .

"He's sort of depressed .. he's in the locker room right now ..."

**AGAIN ! I do not know how to bloody end this ridiculously long chapter ! So , im just going to leave it hanging :D Sorry if it kills you ! I'm trying my best already ! HOHO ! Ryoma won the match wahahahaha ! LOL ! I'm insane ! But , anyways ! Ryoma got over his past trauma and he's able to play tennis again ! It's all thank to chiyo ! Also , is ryoma starting to notice his own feelings towards her ? Read to find out ! PS : The festival is not ending yet ! Plus , What's going to happen to the depressed momoshiro ?**

**Discliamer : I do not own POT :D**


	18. Chapter 18 : Times

Momoshiro sat down on a bench inside the locker room . He clenched his fist hard .

"This wasn't suppose to happen … This wasn't suppose to happen !" he shouted . Sakuno and tomoka stood beside him . Sakuno walked towards him and knelt down beside him . She held his hands .

"Momo...it's okay ..." She said .

"No its not okay !" Momoshiro shouted and pushed her hands away . Sakuno looked at him with her eyes wide opened . She was shocked that momoshiro pushed her hands away .

"S-sorry.."

"Sakuno ...i'm sorry but... can you leave me alone …?"

Sakuno stood up and nodded . She walked out of the locker room with tomoka , clenching her fist near her heart .

"Momoshiro-senpai really took it hard..." Tomoka said .

"Hey Sakuno ! Tomoka !" Kikumaru shouted and came running towards them follwed by other others . "How's momo doing ?"

"Kikumaru-senpai , erm , momoshiro-senpai is sort of out of it right now …"

"I see … why aren't you guys with him ?"

"He wants to be left alone ..."

"Tomo-chan... I'm going to get a drink..."

"I'll come with you then !"

"NO ! I want to go alone ..." With that , sakuno walked away from the gang and head towards the vending machine . As she was walking , she kept thinking about the match . The others at the locker room stood around in a circle . Fuji , on the other hand stood aside and placed his hands on his chin . He was deep in thought . Inui saw that and walked over towards him .

"What's wrong fuji ? You seem to be thinking about something ..." he asked .

"Oh , its nothing . Just that ..."

"Just what ?"

"Never mind … i'm going to continue to look around the school festival … you guys head on without me ." he said and walked away . He headed towards the school garden and the tennis courts . He was looking around frantically like he was searching for something .

"Why is the school so big ?" he thought to himself . He walked all over the place .

"I give up ..." He was about to make his way back to the others when he heard a voice . He opened his eyes and ran towards the direction of the baseball court .

"I finally found you ..." He said as he looked at ryoma , chiyo , kaidoh and oishi .

"What do you want fuji-senpai..?" Kaidoh asked .

"Wait , i'm not here to fight . I just want to have a chat .."

"We have nothing to talk about … come on , lets get out of here..." kaidoh said . The others were about to walk away when fuji stopped them .

"I'm starting to have doubts about momo...and there are a lot of doubtful points that I don't understand . Like why did kaidoh side with echizen all of a sudden and why Oishi made up with kaidoh .. I thought he cut off all ties with all of us .. but now .. you two are friends .. I just don't know what's going on.."

Inui , who have been following fuji the entire time , walked out from behind a tree .

"Fuji .. you too ?"

"Inui ?"

"I'm here as well ..." tezuka came out from behind them .

"Tezuka ..." Fuji and inui said as tezuka approached them . He nodded and turned to face ryoma .

"Tezuka .. did you notice it as well ?" Inui asked . Tezuka nodded . It seemed like Fuji , Inui and tezuka have been thinking about the exact same thing . Ryoma looked at all of them . He said nothing but instead , he walked away .

"Echizen , wait-" Fuji wanted to stop ryoma from walking away but he was stopped by kaidoh . Kaidoh Glared at him .

"Kaidoh..."

"Leave him alone … haven't you all done enough harm to him ?" He stormed off . Oishi was the only one left . But he never walked away . Instead he stood there and looked at Inui , Fuji and Tezuka .

"Oishi .. Its been a while .." Tezuka said .

"Tezuka ..."

"Oishi … can you tell us ...about echizen ? I want to know what's going on … Why is kaidoh siding with him all of a sudden . And you as well .." Inui asked .

"From the beginning , I never sided with anyone .. all I did was trust my instincts .. I never believed those stories about echizen and you know it .." Oishi closed his eyes and explained .

"Do you know the truth ?"

"Even if I do .. I won't tell you ..."

"Why ?"

"If you want the truth , you can either find it out yourself or you get echizen to tell you .. But , it really depends on what you guys truly believe ..I'm going now ..." Oishi said and he walked away , leaving tezuka , fuji and inui lost in thought .

"What do you think tezuka ?" Fuji asked .

"By the looks of it .. it seems like we have to find out the truth ourselves if we want to know what's going on.."

Sakuno , on the other hand , was sitting down on a bench next to the vending machine . She thought of nothing .. the only thing that was on her mind was the match between momoshiro and ryoma .

"Why am I thinking that ryoma-kun looked cool when he played tennis ?" She thought to herself . She shook her head . "No , why am I thinking like that ! In fact , I should be more worried about momo .. I can't believe he pushed me away .. It really hurts my feelings .."

As she was sitting there and thinking , she never noticed that Ryoma and chiyo were walking towards the vending machine . Since the bench is beside the vending machine , ryoma and chiyo never noticed sakuno sitting there .

"Ryoma , don't you get tired of drinking the same drink every time ?"

"No...i don't , and besides weirdo , you drink the same drink all the time too.."

Sakuno noticed ryoma and chiyo . She wanted to go away . She stood up . she was about to leave when she accidentally kicked a can that was on the floor which made the two looked towards her direction .

"Sakuno-chan ?" Chiyo called out to her which made her jumped . "Sakuno-chan.. you okay ? You don't look very good ? Are you unwell ?"

"I'm fine !" She shouted .

"But you look pale , why don't you go to the nurse office ?"

"Look I said i'm fine ! Leave me alone !" She took a step back . But , there was a pile of water there and she stepped on to it . She fell backwards and was about to knock her head on the bench .

"Sakuno-chan Watch out !" Chiyo shouted . Chiyo tried to reach out to her hands to stop her from falling but sakuno was out of reach . Sakuno closed her eyes as she braced herself for the impact . BUMP ! There was a loud sound . However , sakuno was not injured .

"Ryoma !" Chiyo shouted . Sakuno opened her eyes and looked behind . There , was ryoma . He took protected her head from hitting the bench and he took the impact instead . She got up immediately and looked at ryoma .

"Ryoma-kun..." she said .

"Ryoma ! You okay ?! Oh my god you're bleeding !" Chiyo shouted as she pointed at ryoma's elbow . Ryoma stood up .

"I'm fine ..."  
"No you're not !"

"Yes I am ...don't worry about it .. its nothing.." He started to walk away . Chiyo followed him and she kept on insisting for him to go to the nurse office .

"Ryoma-kun...why... why did he save me ? After all that i've done to him .." sakuno thought . She ran towards him before they left .

"Ryoma-kun !" She shouted . Ryoma turned around and looked at her . "Why did you ..save me ?"

He didn't say anything . Instead he walked away .

"..Thank you .." Sakuno said .

"It's nothing..." he gave a reply and walked off . Sakuno stood there and stared at his back .

"Ryoma-kun ..you've changed..." was what she thought .

Back at ryoma …

"Okay okay okay ! I'll go to the nurse office already ! God , you are worse then oishi-senpai !"

"Excuse me ?! I'm just worried about you ! What if you get an infection ? Or a scar ?"

"Is that something a guy should be worried about ?"

"Er.. well ..."

I patted her head .

"I know , I know . I'll get it disinfected . Anyways , we're here .."

The both of us stopped in front of the school nurse office . We opened the door to the nurse office but , there was no one there . Okay .. now what ?  
"Looks like the nurse isn't in right now ." She said as the both of us entered the office . "I'll help you disinfect it , why don't you sit down ?"

I walked over and sat down on the bed . I looked down at my injury . Sigh . Looks like a pretty deep cut . This is not going to be good . Takanishi-san came over with a bottle of disinfectant and some cotton wool . She put some disinfectant on the cotton wool .

"Here give me your hand ."

I said nothing and stretched my hands out to her . This is not going be- OW ! I flinched . This is the reason why I hate to come to the nurse office ! Because I hate disinfectant ! It bloody hurts a lot ! Takanishi-san looked at me and started to laugh .

"W-what ?" I asked .

"Nothing .. you just look … hahaha ! You should have seen your face !" she burst out laughing . I could feel my face getting hot .

"Shut up weirdo ! … Its not that funny .."

"But .. but .. I just didn't imagine you'd be the type to be scared of disinfectant ." She tried to talk while controlling her laughter .

"Ah ! Stop laughing already weirdo !"

"Pfft .. okay okay .. sorry .. Hehe . And anyways , how long are you going to call me weirdo ?"

"what ?"

"I mean , you asked me to call you ryoma and to stop calling you by your last name . So , i'm asking you the same thing now . Stop calling me weirdo , call me by my name ."

"Your name ?"

"That's right ! Call me chiyo !" She gave me a big smile .

"..Yadda.."

"Eh ? Why not ?!"

"Because I don't want to . Weirdo suits you better .."

"Hey !" She pouted .

"Heh , are you going to disinfect my wound or what ?"

"Ah right !"

She continued to tend to my wound .

"Ow ! Can't you be a little gentle ?!" I shouted as she wiped the blood off my arm .

"Oh please , you're a guy and you can't take this much pain ?"

"What ?"

"Geez , stop moving already !" She commanded . "Argh , this is not getting anywhere ! I can't tend to your wound properly if you keep on moving ! Hold still !" She stood up and sat down beside me , holding on to my arm . Her face closed in on me and now , it was only inches away . As she was busy tending to my wound , I looked at her . To be honest , she's really cute when you really look at her . Now , I know why guys are head over heels for her … but .. the only thing they don't know is that … she's weird . Heh . AH what am I thinking ?

"There you go ! All done !" She pasted a plaster on my arms . She went back to placed the disinfectant back to the shelf . "hey look ! The bond fire dance is starting ! Come on ! I want to watch !" She came over and dragged me to the school field where many students gathered . The students started the fire and then there was an announcement .

"And now ! The bond fire dance is starting !"

"Wow , the fire is so big !" She said with glittering eyes .

"You seem excited about this .."

"Well yeah .. but I don't participate it the dance , i'm pretty bad at it you know ."

Hmm , so there's something that she's bad with . I guess she's pretty normal as well .

"Hey weirdo .." I called out to her and stretched my hands out . She looked at me and then at my hands .

"E..eh ?",

"Don't make me say it …." Shit , I can feel my face getting hot . AH WHAT AM I DOING ?!

"B-but i'm bad at-"

"Don't you want to enjoy the festival ?"

"Y-yeah.." She said and she took my hands . Around the bond fire , people were dancing . Among them , were me and takanishi-san . I don't know why i'm doing this , but I just want her to be happy .

"Hmm , you're not a bad dancer after all .."

"What are you saying ?! I kept messing up !"

"No .. you're not ..."

Chiyo

Ryoma and I danced to the bond fire . I could feel my face getting hot . I'm blushing ! He's so close to me . Its not the first time that we've been close . But this is a different feeling . My heart is beating so fast ! I can't think straight ! I can only hear my own heart beating . The surroundings sounds feels cut off from me . What should I do ?

"Weirdo , there's something i'd like to give to you .." he stopped dancing and took something out from his pocket . "Open your hands ."

"O..okay .." I did as he told me to . Then , he dropped a key chain with a shape of a bear on my hands .

"I got this at the can's game earlier …"

"Eh ? Why are you giving it to me ?"

"...Because you're special ..." he said and he walked away , leaving me standing there .

I'm special ? Wh-what does he means ? I'm just his weird friend right ? Maybe he means that . No , if that were the case , he would just said I'm his weird friend . Heh ? What's going on ? My face feels hot . I can't control it ! My mind's in a mess . I don't understand ! No matter what I hear , what I see , everything seemed blank to me . He's occupied my mind ! He's seized my consciousness and my body ! What's going on ? I... I can't stop thinking about Ryoma ..

**Tada ! I'm finally done with another long chapter ! Whahahahhhha ! Added a cute scene at the end :D Hope you liked it ! What' this ? Chiyo can't stop thinking about ryoma and ryoma thinks she's cute ?! And not to mention , even sakuno finds that ryoma has changed . Whats going to happen from here onwards ? Read to find out ! :D Thanks for the reviews guys ! Love it ! Hope you'll continue to support me ! Hearts ! :D**

**Disclaimer : I do not own POT :D**


	19. Chapter 19 : Strange feelings

Recently , weird things have been happening to me when I walk around the school . Why the hell is everyone staring at me whenever I walk pass them ?! It just freaks me out ! It's been happening for the entire week ! And not only that !

"Good morning Echizen ."

"Yo Echizen !"

People have been greeting me ! This is way beyond weird ! What in the world happened to them ? I walked towards the class and opened the door . The entire class turned around and looked at me . Okay … this is way beyond creepy .

"Why are you standing here Ryoma ? Aren't you going to go in ?" a voice came from behind . I turned my head and saw Takanishi-san standing beside me .

"No ..Well...I feel like i'm being stared at ."

"Huh ? I don't see anyone staring at you . Come on , lets go in !" She skipped into class .

"Right..." I replied and followed her in . As I walked into the class , I could people whispering to each other .

"Hey , there's Echizen ."

"Want to go greet him ?"

"Eh ?! I don't know ..."

I'm starting to freak out even more now ! Takanishi-san came over and bent down beside me .

"Hey , what's wrong with you ? You don't seem like yourself at all this morning . Are you sick ?" she asked as she tilted her head. I used my finger and pushed her head away .

"I'm not sick ..Just that … Ah , never mind . Don't worry about it weirdo .."

"Oh that reminds me !" She stood up and put her hands into her pocket . "Here , this is for you !" She dangled a key chain that's shaped like a rabbit in front of me . I looked at her .

"What's this ?" I asked .

"Hand me your phone !"

"What ?"

"Just pass me your phone ! You'll know soon enough !"

I said nothing and passed my phone to her .She took and did something to it . She returned it to me and then , there was the key chain dangling from it .

"This used to be my key chain ! But since you gave me a new one on the day of the festival , i'm not using this anymore . Instead , i'm using the one you gave me . See !" She took out her phone and the key chain that I gave her was dangling from it .

"And why are you giving your old key chain to me ?"

"Hmm , as proof of our friendship ? Look , I have one , you have one ! So will you take it ?"

"If you say so . Then , I'll take it . Thanks ." I gave her a light smile . All of a sudden , I felt eyes on me . I turned around and the entire class was staring at the both of us .

"Hey weirdo..?"

"Yeah ?"

"I think i'm going to get a drink .." I feel super uncomfortable staying here . Plus , there's an hour before class starts so .. I think I'll come back later . I stood up and headed towards the door . "Thanks for the key chain .." I said and walked out of the class . Seriously what's wrong with these people ? Its been like this since the school festival . Man , Its starting to creep me out a lot ! To be honest , I like it better when they treat me like a jerk .

"Good morning Echizen.. Fshhhh.."

I turned around and saw Kaidoh-senpai standing there .

"Kaidoh-senpai .. morning .."

"You seem distracted , what's wrong ?" he asked .

When I was about to answer him , a group of girls walked passed us . "Look there he is . Good morning Echizen-san !" They shouted .

I sighed and looked right back at Kaidoh-senpai .

"That's wrong ..." I said as I pointed to the group of girls .He looked at them and then at me .

"I see your point .. Since when- ?"

"Don't ask me . I'm still freaking out myself ."

My phone vibrated . I took it out and saw a message .

_'Echizen Ryoma ! This is your beloved manager ! Just here to inform you that the shop is going to undergo some renovations for two weeks . Therefore , it'll be closed . Don't worry about your salary , it won't be affected ! And I also heard your summer vacation starts next week . I hope you enjoy it !_

_PS : Please inform my cute Chiyo-chan and kaidoh-chan for me ! You guys go to the same school anyways . Toodles !_

_Love , Your beloved manager !'_

I stared at the phone . Seriously ? Two weeks ?! Great ! Now I can finally rest ! I clenched my fist and punched it in the air .

"What is it ?" Kaidoh-senpai asked . I showed him the message and he stared at it .

"This is unexpected ."

"I know . But i'm glad it happened . Finally I can get some real rest at home ."

"No , I wasn't talking about the message . I was talking about your phone key chain .. I'm surprised you like this kind of key chain .."

"It wasn't originally mine .. I got it from .."

"From Chiyo ?"

My face got red when I heard that . I used my hands to cover my mouth .

"I'm going back to class now . See you.." I walked as fast as I could away from Kaidoh-senpai . Damn it . Recently , I have been having these weird heartbeats whenever it concerns her . And how can Kaidoh-senpai say her first name so easily ? I can't do it ! Even Oishi-senpai calls her by her first name ! So why can't I do it ?!

Chiyo...

I sat down at my seat and looked at the key chain that Ryoma gave me . Hehe , it's really cute . I really like it ._ "you're special .." _Those words kept repeating itself in my head . Recently , whenever I think of Ryoma , my heart beats really fast . I don't know why . I've never had these feelings before .

"Erm , Chiyo ..?"

I looked up and saw a group of girls in front of me .

"Yeah ? What's wrong ?"

"Erm...You've been spending a lot of time with Echizen right ? What's he like ?"

Huh ?

"Ever since the school festival, we've had a different impression of him ."

"Yeah , like how cool he looked when he played tennis ."

"And how he protected your rights when the school president made you the prize for winning the match . After that , we found him a little cool and manly !"

"I know there are rumors about him cheating on his girlfriend but that's all in the past right ? Who knows ? He might have changed ! So tell us more about him , what is his type ?"

What's this ? What's going on ? People have started thinking differently about Ryoma . I mean , i'm glad about it but ..

"Erm .. he's a really nice person..." I said .

"I knew it !"

"He saved you once too right ? From the falling Pot ."

"No way ! Seriously !? He might be a nice guy after all !"

They started talking among themselves about Ryoma . About how cool he looked and how nice he might be . I'm happy that they are starting to like Ryoma .. but .. my chest hurts . What's this weird feeling i'm having ? I feel weird .

"Chiyo ! What a cute key chain you have !" One of them grabbed my phone .

"Really ! It's so cute ! Where did you get it ? I want one too !"

"Hey , can I buy it from you ? I really like bears !"

"That's-" That's from Ryoma ! I can't give it to anyone ! "I can't sell it to you , its really precious to me .."

"Heh ? Oh please ? I really want it ! Chiyo you're a nice person . Can't you let me have it ? Please ?"

"Chiyo is a nice person , i'm sure she'll say yes !"

I didn't say anything !

"But-"

All of a sudden , a hand came from behind me and took my phone back from the girls . Who-?

"She say its not for sale ...So why don't all of you just back off ?"

That voice . I turned around and saw Ryoma standing behind me . My heart skipped a beat . There's that feeling again !

"Echizen.." The girls said . Ryoma shot a glare at them which made them flinched . Oh well , that's him alright .

"W-we're sorry ! Chiyo , we're sorry ! We're going to get back to our seats now . Nice talking to you Echizen .." They apologized and walked away as fast as they could . Ryoma walked towards his seat that was beside me and sat down .

"Here .." he passed me my phone .

"Thanks.."

"You really don't know how to protect yourself huh ?"

"That's not it ! I'm usually not like that ! I was just ..." What was wrong with me ? I was confused with my own feelings so I couldn't fight back . If it were the normal me , I would have snatched my phone back . But I …

"Never mind , anyways , look ." he took his phone out and showed me a message from manager . Eh ? Renovations ? And we have two weeks off ! And no salary deduction ! Great !

"So what are you going to do for the two weeks ?" he asked .

"Heh?"

"There's no work and its summer vacation ."

"Hmm , I don't know .." I haven't had any plans yet .It was so sudden . "What about you Ryoma ?"

"Hmm , i'm planning to play some tennis ."

Oh right . He's started playing tennis again . From what I heard , Ryoma really loves tennis . Now , i'm glad that he can play again . I'm really happy for him .

"I'm glad you're starting to play tennis again !" I smiled at him .

"If you don't have any plans … why not come along with me ?"

"Eh ?" What did he say ?

"I'm asking you to come along with me ..."

"But .. won't it be better to ask Kaidoh-senpai or Oishi-senpai ?" Why me ? I really want to go but ..

"I'm asking you ..."

"But … I don't know how to play tennis ..." I looked down on table . Ah this is so embarrassing ! I looked up at Ryoma and he was staring at me .

"Seriously ?"

"I don't have a thing for sports ! In fact , i'm really bad at it !"

"Well .. that leaves me no choice..." I looked at him . He scratched his head and sighed . "Just come , I'll teach you .."

Ba-dump ! There's the weird heartbeat again ! I turned my face away from him . Ah ! What the hell is wrong with me ?!

"O-okay.."

The teacher came in the class . Everyone scattered back to their seats . I settled down and got ready for lesson when Ryoma passed a note to me .

_'I'll text you the location .. don't be late weirdo ..'_

I pouted . He don't have to be so mean . Calling me weirdo ..

Meanwhile …

Kaidoh and Momoshiro was called to the staff room . Apparently , the teacher in charged of the tennis team was looking for the both of them . And that teacher , was no other than Ryuzaki Sumire sensei .

"Kaidoh , Momoshiro , come here for a while ."She called out to them . The both of them walked over and sat down opposite of her . She passed a piece of paper to each of them .

"I'm planning to start my own tennis team to participate in this tournament that would be held in Tokyo this coming winter .Teams from all over japan will be coming to participate in it too . The winning team , meaning the strongest in japan , will get to represent japan in the main tournament held in London . I'm hoping the both of you will be a part of my team ." she said and smiled at him .

"Ryuzaki-sensei … are you serious ? This tournament is a really prestigious tournament that's held once every five years . You sure you want us to be on your team ?" Kaidoh asked .

"I'm serious . Well ? How about it ?"

"Its such a rare opportunity ! Of course , I'd be honored !" Momoshiro shouted .

"If Sensei wants me to be in your team , I'd be honored as well ." Kaidoh nodded . She stood up and smiled at the both of them .

"Well , that settles it then ! Welcome to the team ! I'll register the both of you soon ."

"If there's nothing more , we'll return to class now !"

The both of them stood up and headed out of the room . But just as they were about to leave , Ryuzaki-sensei stopped them .

"Kaidoh wait ."

He turned around and looked at her .

"What is it sensei ?"

Ryuzaki-sensei folded her arms and faced the window .

"I saw the match between Momoshiro and Ryoma last week ..."

This made Momoshiro flinch . Kaidoh stood there quietly and waited for her to carry on with her sentence .

"Kaidoh ,can you .. ask Ryoma to be a part of the team for me ?"

"Sensei !" Momoshiro shouted .

"He's a strong player and he'll be a great support for us . Also , his potential as a tennis player , I can't ignore it . I don't know what happen two years ago but , it seems like he started tennis again . Kaidoh , can you help me persuade him ? I really want him on the team ."

Kaidoh stood there and thought for a while .

"I'll do it . I'll ask him for you sensei !"

"Thank you .." She came over and patted him on his shoulder . "I'll leave Ryoma to you then ."

**Tadaa ! Did my best on this chapter ! Tried avoiding any errors . Really did ! Anyways , Ryuzaki-sensei makes an appearance ! And , she's Organising a tennis team to take part in a tennis tournament that's held every five years ! Not to mention , She wants ryoma to be a part of the team . Will he do it ? Also , next chap ! Ryoma teaching tennis ? What's going to happen ? Read to find out ! Thanks for all the reviews and support ! Really love you all ! Hearts ! XD **

**Disclaimer : I do not own POT :D**


	20. Chapter 20 : Day with Ryoma

I looked down at my watch . Geez , where is he ? It's already been 10 minutes from the time that we were suppose to meet . He told me not to be late and he's late ! Sigh . I stood in front of the station and looked around . I can't believe i'm actually here . I mean , i'm really happy that he asked me to play tennis with him . But , i'm really bad at sports ! No , I don't know how to play tennis at all !

"Why are you spacing out ?" A voice came from behind . I turned around and saw Ryoma standing there . He was wearing a red collar T-shirt and black shorts .

"Ryoma ! Hey ! You're late !" I shouted and walked towards him .

"No , you're just too early .."

"No , look you told me to meet you at 10 am . Its 10.10am now ! See !" I showed him the message that he sent me last night . He looked at it and sighed .

"In any case , i'm here now right ? Come on lets go .." he said and started to walk away . He's always doing things his own pace . But , I guess that's what makes him Ryoma . Hehe ! I chased after him and walked beside him .

"So , you really have no knowledge about tennis ?"

"Not entirely . I've watched some tennis matches on television . I just don't play it ."

"Well , I guess that's better than not knowing at all .."

"Hey !"

Geez , he's a real bully alright . After walking for some time , we reached the tennis courts . Ryoma went and opened the gate that leads to the inside of the court . He walked in and I followed . He placed his tennis back on the ground and took two tennis racket out .

"Here .. You can use my spare racket .." he passed one to me .

"Okay ." I took it . "Er , Ryoma ? How do you hold it ?" God , I look like a complete idiot right now . He stared at me in disbelief .

"You seriously have no idea ?"

"If I do , then I won't have asked !"

"Sigh , you hold it like this ." He showed me while holding his own racket .

"Erm , like this ?" I tried doing the same but , it doesn't feel right . Eh ? Why does it looks different from how Ryoma is holding ? Eh ? No , its not like this too .

"Baka .. not like this .. Like this ." He came over and helped me . When his hands touched mine , I felt the weird sensation again . "There , got it ?"

"Y-yeah.." AH ! Get a grip on yourself Chiyo ! You're making yourself look stupid ! Just act normal !

"So lets start .."

"Okay !" That's right . I'll just be my usual self !

Ten minutes later …

Hmm , that's not right . Just what am I doing wrong ? I've been trying to hit a ball for the last 10 minutes ! But I can't seem to hit one at all ! Even if I do , it'll either go out of the court or it'll hit the net . Ryoma served the next ball . This time , I have to get it right ! I swung the racket and I hit it ! But .. my hands slipped and the racket flew out of my hands and headed towards Ryoma .

"Whoa !" He dodged it and the racket flew passed him .

"Ah ! Ryoma !" I cried . What am I doing ?!

"Are you trying to kill me ?"

"Sorry ..Are you okay ?" I ran to him .

"I'm fine .. and besides , you're doing it all wrong !"

"Heh ?"

He came over and tapped my legs with his racket .

"Bend you knees more when you swing .Your shoulders are too open and your hips are too wobbly ."

"Geez.. you're a devil ..."

"Then , you're an idiot ..."

"Well excuse me for being an idiot ! I'm trying my best already.. You don't have to be so mean .."

"I know . Lets carry on ." He patted my head and smiled at me . I don't get him . First he teased me . Then , he calls me an idiot . Now , he smiles at me . I could feel my face getting hot . Ah I don't get any of this anymore !

"What are you standing for ? Come on , lets continue !"

"Ah right !" I shouted and made my way back to my side of the court . The both of us continued practicing tennis . After one hour of it , I bent down on the floor and panted . Who'd knew tennis would be so hard . Even the swinging of the racket is hard enough and Ryoma swung it like it was nothing !

"You okay ?" Ryoma asked as he bent down beside me .

"Yeah ..i'm fine .." I stood up and wiped the sweat off my face . Ryoma stood up as well . "Here , thanks for lending me your racket !" I held the racket out to him . He looked at the racket and then at me .

"Keep it ." He pushed the racket back to me .

"Huh ?"

"You don't have a racket right ?"

"Well.."

"Just keep it so next time I won't have to bring an extra out . And besides , I want you to have it ..."

I stood there and stared at him .

"Stop staring at me already ! Just take it ."

"Hehe ! Okay , thanks ! I'll treasure it !" I smiled and hugged the racket . Ryoma walked back to his bag and kept his racket . He walked back with his bag and handed me a towel . "Use it to wipe your sweat dummy ."

I took the towel from him and thanked him . I don't know how tot thank him for today . Oh I know !

"Ryoma ! You want to go get a drink ? Its my treat for teaching me tennis !" I asked .

"Heh..sure.. I could use a cold drink after all that sweating ."

"Lets go !"

Ryoma...

I never thought I would actually teach tennis . This is a first for me . Well , it was kind of fun , even though I almost got killed . How can the racket actually fly out of her hands ? The both of us headed towards a vending machine that was nearby . God , i'm thirsty . Well , at least I got a free drink .

"Here !" Takanishi-san handed me a can of cold drink .

"Thanks .." I took it from her . Hmm , Ponta . She really knows what I want . Well , I guessed that's obvious . We've spend so much time together that we know each other so well . She opened her can of green tea and gulped it down .

"Ah , that really hit the spot !" She exclaimed and took another sip . I didn't say anything . Instead , I just stared at her .

"What ?"

"Nothing .."

I opened my can of drink and gulped it down . Then , my phone rang . Hmm , I wonder who's calling . I took out my phone and saw Kaidoh-senpai on the callers ID . I answered it .

"Kaidoh-senpai ?"

"Echizen , where are you ?" he asked .

"Huh ? I'm at the tennis courts near my house..why ?"

"Tennis court ?! You're really at the tennis court ?!"

"Y-yeah ?" what's this ? Why does he sound so shocked ? My sweat dropped .

"Echizen , lets meet up ! There's something I want to discuss with you ."

"Now ? Erm .. sure.. I guess . Where do you want to meet ?"

"You know the burger joint that we used to go back in Middle school ? Meet me there ."

"Okay .." I hung up the phone . What's with Kaidoh-senpai all of a sudden ? Asking me to meet up with him . The burger joint is just around this area . Maybe I can go there first .

"Was that Kaidoh-senpai ? What does he want ?" Takanishi-san asked . Wait , that's right , I forgot about her !

"Well , he asked me to meet him at the burger joint that's nearby . You want to come along ?"

"You sure ? I won't get in the way ?"

"Nah , its probably nothing ..."

She nodded at me and the both of us made our way towards the burger joint . When reached the place , I looked around for kaidoh-senpai .

"Echizen ! Over here !" I saw kaidoh-senpai waving at me from a corner of the restaurant . We headed towards him and sat down .

"Oh chiyo ? You were with Echizen ?" He asked with a surprised look on his face .

"Yeah , Ryoma t-" before she could continue , I used my hands and covered her mouth . If Kaidoh-senpai finds out that I taught her tennis , he'll know what's going on .

"Never mind that , what is it that you want to discuss with me ?" I asked . He placed a piece of paper on the table and pushed it in front of me . What's this ? A tennis team tournament ?Hang on , this is the prestigious tennis tournament that's held every five years . Hmm , the winning team will get to represent Japan in the main tournament held in London . What's this got to do with me ? I stared at him .

"Echizen , actually , Ryuzaki-sensei asked me to hand this to you .."

Ryuzaki-sensei ? That coach ?

"She's setting up a team for this tournament ."

"So ? What's that got to do with me ?"

"She wants you on her team ..."

What ?

"Why ?" I asked .

"She saw your match with Momoshiro .. and she thinks you will be a strong support for the team ."

I said nothing and stared at him . A tennis team huh … I don't know about this … All of a sudden , his phone rang . He picked it up and answered the phone . After about a minute or so , he turned to look at me .

"Echizen … Ryuzaki sensei is on the line ..She wants to speak with you ..." He passed the phone to me . I looked at him and stared at the phone . I hesitated . Takanishi-san touched my hands and gave me a smile . I looked at her and thought about it for a while . I decided to answer the call so I took the phone from Kaidoh-senpai .

"..Hello ?" I said .

"Ryoma , it's been a long time .. how are you ?" A familiar voice asked .

"Ryuzaki-sensei ...i..."

"I know your still a little hesitant to join my team , but won't you think about it ? You skills as a tennis player is extraordinary . I can't ignore it . And , think about it , joining this tournament will help you in your future as well . Scouts from all over the world will be there to watch ."

My future ? What's my future ? To be honest .. I don't know ..

"Ryoma , isn't it your dream to become a tennis player ? You love tennis right ?"

My dream ?

"So how about it Ryoma ? Will you join my team ?"

I don't know … I ..

"Ryoma .. its okay .. You don't have to be afraid anymore .. Just do what your heart tells you to do . I can tell that you really love tennis . So why not give it a try ?" Takanishi-san held my hands . That's right .. I love tennis . There's no way I could ever hate tennis .. Maybe .. I can do it after all . I patted her head .

"Sensei .. Thank you .. I'll … Join your team .."

"Really ?! Great ! Thank you Ryoma ! I'm really glad you'll do it ! Then come to school ..The tennis club room"

"Huh ?"

"A meeting will be held there and the people on the team will be there . There's something I would like to discuss with all of you ..Well , i'll see you there !"

"Ah..." I said and she hung up . What the hell ? Was this a last minute thing ? No , or maybe , She already predicted that I was going to say yes ? Or was she going to register me anyways ? I don't get that coach at all !

"I'm happy for you Ryoma !" Takanishi-san smiled at me .

"..Baka.."

"Heh ?!"

I laughed at her expression . Really this girl never fail to surprise me .

"Ryoma ! Lets go home together !"

"Ah , wait . I can't ."

"Heh ?" She looked confusedly at me .

"I need to go to school . I have to attend the meeting for the tournament .." I explained .

"Then , i'll wait for you !"

"Huh ? You don't have to , weirdo ..why don't you and kaidoh-senpai go home ?"

"Erm , Echizen .. actually .. I'm part of the team as well ." Kaidoh-senpai told me . I looked at him with my eyes wide open .

"You .. you never told me ."

"I wanted tell right after I showed you the piece of paper , but I was cut off by Sensei's call .."

So , kaidoh-senpai is a part of the team as well . At least now I won't feel lonely . Geh ! What am I saying ?! I sound like i'm gay ! Geez .

"Aren't the two of you going to go to school ? Come on lets go ! I'll wait for the both of you !"

"You don't have-"

"I don't want to go home alone . Its lonely . And besides , the school is just around the corner ! I don't mind waiting !"

"You never change , do you ?"

The three of us walked out of the burger joint and headed for school .

At school ..

Ryoma , Kaidoh and Chiyo have reached the school . They walked towards the tennis club room . As they were walking , they bumped into someone .

"Oishi-senpai ?!" Kaidoh shouted . Ryoma eyes was wide open and Chiyo just looked at him . They ran towards him and greeted him .

"What are you doing here Oishi-senpai ?" kaidoh asked . Oishi stood there and smiled at them .

"I'm going to the tennis club room .."

"You too ?!" Ryoma and Kaidoh shouted at the same time . They thought perhaps Oishi was also selected to be in Ryuzaki-sensei's team . "We're heading there as well ."

"Oh ? Then lets go there together !" He said . They walked and reached the entrance to the tennis club room .

"By the way Oishi-senpai , what's your business coming to the club room ?"

"Eh ? Well , I received a call from Ryuzaki-sensei and-"

The door opened before Oishi could continue . There stood Ryuzaki-sensei . She opened the door and smiled at them .

"Looks like you're here . Come on in ." She invited them in . Oishi , Kaidoh and Ryoma looked at each other . As they were about to go in , Chiyo called out to them .

"Erm , i'll just wait here okay ?"

Ryoma walked over and handed her his bag .

"Take care of this for me when i'm gone .."

"Eh ? Okay ." she took the bag from him and Ryoma patted her head . Recently , he's been patting her head a lot . But that seems to make Chiyo happy . She likes it when Ryoma does that . Chiyo gave Ryoma a smiled and Ryoma made his way into the club room . Once they were inside , they met the other team members .

"Looks like all of us is here .."

Tezuka , Fuji , Inui , Kawamura ,Kikumaru , Oishi , Momoshiro , Kaidoh and Ryoma were all in the room .

**Okay , this chapter is finally done ! I spent the entire day working on this . And i'm going on holiday tomorrow ! Yays ! Okay anyways ! I hoped all of you enjoyed this chap ! So Ryoma has decided to Join Ryuzaki-sensei's tennis team to compete in the tournament ! And the regulars of seigaku , I mean , ex-regulars are in this team ! What's going to happen in this meeting ? Next Chapter ! Read to find out ! :D Thanks for the reviews . Love you all ! Hearts ! Hope you'll keep on supporting me !**

**Disclaimer : I do not own POT :D**


	21. Chapter 21 : Off to camp ?

I stood inside the tennis club room , facing my ex team mates . Kikumaru-senpai and Kawamura-senpai stood up from their seat and stared at me while the fuji-senpai and the others just sat down at their places , as if they were already expecting me to be here. The whole room was quiet . Kaidoh-senpai and Oishi-senpai stood beside me and shot glares at them . Well , only kaidoh-senpai shot the glares . Oishi-senpai just stood there and looked at them . My eyes set on Momoshiro-senpai who was sitting down at one corner of the room . His eyes met mine and the both of us ended up glaring at each other .

"Echizen ! Why the hell are you here ?!" a voice broke the silence in the room . Horio walked out from the shadows and looked at me with a angry expression .That's my line , why is he here ? What did I ever do to him ? Does he have a grudge against me or what ? I said nothing . Four more shadows came out from behind him . Who you ask ? You guessed it . Katsuo , Katchiro , Osakada and Ryuzaki was standing there . Well , this is a reunion ... All of us are here .

"What is this ?! Sensei ! Why is Echizen here ?!" Kikumaru shouted as he turned towards Ryuzaki-sensei .

"Echizen is going to be a part of the team . That's why he's here . Is there a problem ?" Ryuzaki-sensei asked as she fold her arms .

"But sensei !" Kawamura stood by Kikumaru senpai .

"If anyone of you have a problem with this arrangement , feel free to leave . The door is wide open ." Ryuzaki-sensei said in a stern voice and gestured her hands towards the door . The both of them looked at each other . They hesitated for a while but gave up soon after and sat back down .

"Now Ryoma , Oishi , Kaidoh , why don't you guys take a seat ." Ryuzaki-sensei told us . I walked over to one of the empty chairs and sat down . Ryuzaki-sensei stood in front of us and handed us a piece of paper each . What this ? A holiday inn ? Huh ?

"Sensei , what is this ?" Oishi-senpai asked . Yeah , I want to know too . Aren't we going to talk about the tournament ? If she's asking us to go on a holiday and bond with each other to strengthen team spirit , i'm out of here !

"Since all of you are having your summer vacation now , we'll use this time to go on a training camp . This camp will help us to strengthen the team's bond and spirit . It'll also be a great training for the upcoming tournament ."

I slapped my palms on my forehead and looked down . I knew it ! This is her style after all ! This is ridiculous ! I said I was going to take part In the tournament but i'm not going to participate in her team bonding activity ! I rather practice tennis alone ! I stood up from my seat and walked towards the door .

"Ryoma , where are you going ?" She called out to me .

"I'm not going to take part in this ridiculous team bonding activity …" I told her in a cold voice .

"Ryoma... this training camp is important for us . All of us . If you're not there , its meaningless .."

"It's meaningless for me to go … Team bonding ? Team spirit ? I don't believe those nonsense .. Tennis is just tennis .. Team bonding and team spirit has no effect on how one play tennis .."

"Ryoma..."

I closed my eyes and walked towards the door . But then , a hand grabbed hold of my arm . I turned around and saw Fuji-senpai

"Echizen.. why don't you just participate in this camp ?" Fuji-senpai asked me . I shoved his hands away and took a stepped back . What the hell is wrong with him ? He's been acting really weird . And at the school festival too !

"Echizen .. don't you want things to return to how it was before ?" He came over and whispered in my ears . I used both of my hands and pushed him away .

"Why do you care ?" I glared at him .

Its fine . Its fine with how things are now . I don't need anything more . I can play tennis again . I have Kaidoh-senpai and Oishi-senpai by my side . It's more than enough . I don't need things to go back to the way it was . I'm already very fortunate . And , I have her …

"In any case , I-"

"Takanishi Chiyo right ? She's really cute ." My attention diverted to Inui-senpai as he said those words . He was flipping through his notebook as usual .

"Not to mention , she's popular among the guys in the school . She's kind , cute and good at cooking . Her parents passed away when she was young . She lives in an apartment near the station few blocks down the street . She works part time at-" Before he could say anything else , my hands was already grabbing him by his collar .

"What the hell are you doing to Inui ?!" Some of the others shouted but I didn't care .

"Where did you get that information ?" I asked him . He smiled at me and pushed his spectacles up .

"I knew you'd be like this when it comes to her . I have more information you know ? And she's also gullible . If I use these information to threaten her , who knows what will happen .Heh , maybe I'll ask her to be my girl ." He smirked at me . My fist tighten . D-damn him !

"Inui !" Oishi-senpai shouted .

"Inui-senpai ! You !" Kaidoh-senpai stood up .

"Just what the hell do you want ?!" I shouted . He held his notebook up . "What ?"

"This notebook contains all the information I have on Takanishi Chiyo . If you participate in this training camp , I'll give it to you at the end of the camp ."

I looked at him . I released him and pushed him back on his seat .

"...I just have to attend the camp right ?"

"Yes ."

I turned around and placed my hands in my pocket .

"You better keep your promise ..."

"Of course .. Fuji will be my witness . Won't you ?" He looked at Fuji-senpai . Fuji-senpai kept quiet for a while and then , he gave inui-senpai a slight smile and nodded .

"Inui-senpai …" I called out to him .

"What is it ?"

"If you dare touch her .. I'll kill you.." I won't forgive you if you dare to hurt her ! I walked back to my seat and sat down .

"Okay , I didn't really know what happened but , since that's all cleared up , we'll carry on with this meeting . Its going to take quite a while so please bare with me ." Ryuzaki-sensei said . Geez , how long can this take ? I'm sure its going to be just ten minutes ..

3 hours later …

Oi oi ! It's been three hours ! How long is this meeting going to last ! I looked down at my watch . It's already 4pm ! Oh my god , will her meeting go on till 6pm ?! Sigh ..

"Echizen ? Is something wrong ?" Oishi-senpai whispered to me .

"No .. its just that …" I looked towards the door . I wonder if she's still waiting outside . I should have told her to go home .

"Are you worried about Chiyo ?"

I twitched . How come he knows everything ?

"Don't worry . Its already been three hours . She probably went home already ."

No , this is her we're talking about ! Knowing her , she's probably still waiting outside . I looked out the window . I search around to see if she's there but , I only saw my bag on the bench . Hmm , maybe she's not that stupid either . But somehow , why do I feel so …

"Ryoma , are you listening ? I know you're getting restless . The meeting is going to end so please wait a little more ."

"..Fine.." I'm not restless . I'm irritated !

"After this meeting , I hope the eight of you will cooperate well with each other during the training camp ." Ryuzaki-sensei said .

"Wait a minute sensei , there's more than eight of us here ."

"Ah , right . Looks like I haven't told you . You guys must have been wondering why there are more people here . Well , they're here to help out with the training camp ."

So that's why they're here .

"Sakuno and Tomoka will be the managers of the inn that we'll be staying in . They'll also be in charge of the meals and cleaning . Horio , Katsuo and Katchiro will be in charge of taking care of the tennis courts and making sure they are in top condition before we use the courts ." She explained .

"Eh , but sensei , then there's nine of us left ! I thought you said there was only going to be eight of us ?"

"Oishi is not going to be on the team as a player but , he'll be helping out in taking care of the injured and making sure non of you get hurt or sick during the camp ."

I looked at Oishi-senpai . He smiled at me .

"You didn't say anything about this .." Kaidoh-senpai said .

"I wanted to give the two of you a surprise ."

"Hmm... So does that mean the meeting is over ?" I turned towards Ryuzaki-sensei .

"Yes , Its over ."

Great . I stood up and headed towards the door .

"Wait Echizen , lets go together ." Oishi-senpai called out to me . He came over to me and opened the door . Kaidoh-senpai came over as well and walked out of the room . After Oishi-senpai walked out , I followed behind . Bump ! Ouch !

"What the hell ?" I took a step back when I realized that I bumped into Oishi-senpai . "Oishi-senpai , why did you stop all of a sudden ?" I walked in front of him . He pointed his hands towards the direction of the tennis court .

"Echizen , look."

"Huh ?" I turned my head towards the direction of where he was pointing at . There , I saw her .Ms weirdo.. She was leaning against the tennis court fence. She looked at me and waved her hands . She was waiting for me all this while ?! Its three hours . Three damn hours ! Not Three minutes ! Why would she wait for me ? I thought she went home … She made her way towards me . As she was about to say something , Fuji-senpai and the others walked out of the club room .

"Echizen , why are you standing at the door ?" Fuji-senpai asked me . But , I never look at him or say anything to him . The only thing on my mind now was her .

"Ryoma , is the meeting finished ?" she asked me .

"You didn't go home ?"

"Huh ? Why would I go home ?" she looked confusedly at me .

"The meeting lasted for three hours … so I thought you may have went home already ."

"I said I'd wait for you right ?"

"But .. seriously ? Three hours ? You'd wait for three hours ?"

"I'll keep waiting even if the meeting last 6 hours . Because , I said I'd wait for you to go home together ."

"..You idiot ..." I hid my face under my fringe . For some reason , my heart is beating fast . I knew that my face was red . I kept asking myself , when did I have such feelings for her . I thought I would never feel something like this again .

"Oh ! Chiyo-chan ! What are you doing here ?" Momoshiro-senpai's voice brought me back from my thoughts . I looked up and turned towards him .

"Ah … Momoshiro-senpai ..." she said in a low tone.

"Hi Chiyo , it seems like we meet again .." Fuji-senpai smiled . The others walked out of the room and looked at us with a surprised look .

"Ah , Chiyo ..." Horio spoke . I looked at her . She didn't say anything . Inui-senpai stepped out from the crowd and walked towards her .

"Hello , Takanishi Chiyo . We meet again ."

"Ah.."

"Hey weirdo .." I called out to her to divert her attention back to me. She looked at me . "Waiting out here for three hours , aren't you tired ?"

"Well I'm not exactly tired ." she replied .

"Then , are you hungry ?"

"Ehh .. I'm not ." *Growl~* her stomach growled . I stared at her with my eyes wide open . Her face turned red . "That wasn't me ! *Growl~* " Her stomach growled again . I turned around and covered my mouth and laughed .

"Ah Ryoma ! Stop laughing already !" She came over and pulled my sleeve with her face red . I looked at her face . I tried to stop laughing but her flustered face just made me laugh more .

"Neh Ryoma ! Ryoma !...Sheesh ! I bet you're hungry too ! You didn't eat lunch as well !"

"Huh ? I'm not- *Growl~* " Now , it was my stomach's turn to growl . Ah crap .

"Hehe ! See , you're hungry too !" She laughed .

Without saying anything else ,I grabbed her hands which surprised her . "Come on lets go.." I pulled her away from the club room and took my bag from the bench that was next to the club room .

"Kaidoh-senpai , Oishi-senpai , We'll be going ahead first ." I pulled her towards the gate of the school .

"Ah Ryoma ! Slow down !" She shouted and the both of us headed out of the school .

Meanwhile ..

"Hey , Momo . Are the two of them really just friends ? They're acting as if they're going out with each other ." Kikumaru asked . Momoshiro said nothing . Fuji on the other hand , smiled to himself and walked towards inui .

"Inui , you did that on purpose didn't you ?"

"What are you talking about Fuji ?"

"To make Echizen take part in the training , you used that girl , didn't you ?"

Inui smiled at Fuji .

"From what my data says , it seems that Echizen really cares for her . She's important to him . I just used that fact to make him participate in the training camp ."

"So you became the bad guy.. Heh , as expected of you Inui ."

"Heh , don't you want to know the truth about two years ago ? If he takes part in this camp , there's a chance we'll know something ."

"Your right."

"What are the two of you talking about ?" Kikumaru asked . The both of them turned around and smiled .

"Nothing much .. Saa.. Lets go home ." Fuji said .

Back to Ryoma …

"Ryoma , can you slow down a little ? I can't catch up ." Takanishi-san called out to me . I stopped walking and released her hands .

"Sorry .." I just did that without knowing what I was doing .

"Its okay . Hehe . So what do you want to eat ?" she asked .

"...Anything is fine ..."

"Oh come on ! There must be something you want to eat ."

I stood there and looked at her . I thought about it for a while .

"Well … I guess .. there is something ..."

"Yeah ?"

"Your...cooking..." I covered my face . Ah , this is so embarrassing ! I'm out of my mind !

"You want me to cook ?"

I gave her a slight nod . She stared at me for sometime . Then , she broke out in a big bright smile and grabbed on to my wrist .

"Then we have to do some shopping ! I ran out of groceries so if you want me to cook dinner , we have to buy some ingredients ! Come on !" She pulled me towards the direction of the supermarket .The both of us reached the supermarket . She took a basket and walked inside .

"So what do you want to eat ? I'll make it for you !" She asked me .

"..Just something normal ..." It doesn't really have to be something classy .

"Okay , how about Omelet rice ? Its simple and nice !"

"That's fine I guess ."

"Okay ! So first we need eggs ! Now where is the egg section ? Ah there it is !"

"Wait a second weirdo …" I went over and took the basket from her . "I'll carry this .."

"Eh ?"

"Its the least I could do ...Since you're going to cook for me and such .. And i'm also a guy . I can't let a girl do all the work ." I looked at her only to find her staring at me again .

"What ?"

"Hehe nothing ! I just thought that you might make a pretty good boyfriend ."

Wha-?!

"Ah ! Just get on with the shopping already !" Seriously .. just what is she trying to say ?

"Okay Okay , Hehe !"

After shopping for the ingredients , we headed towards her apartment . As we passed by the corridor , we saw the landlady again . She gave us a wink and a chill ran down my spine . God , she gives me the creeps ! I hurried towards her apartment and we went in . Her cat , Kiki , came out and greeted us . I bent down and patted the cat . She gave me a meow and starting rubbing herself against my leg .

"I'll go and prepare the food . You can wait in the living room . In the mean time , you can watch TV if you want or play with Kiki !"

"Okay."

She walked into the kitchen and so , I headed towards the living room and sat down on the sofa . Kiki jumped up on to my lap and curled up on my lap . I took out a book from my bag and started reading . After about 30 minutes , Takanishi-san came out of the kitchen with two plates .

"Hey , dinner is served !" She shouted . I walked over after placing Kiki down on the sofa and sat down .I took a bite of her omelet rice as she asked me to try it . After one bite , I took another bite and another , and another until the plate was empty .

"So how was it ?" she asked .

"...do I have to say it ?"

"Geez .. you never change .. So how did the meeting go ?"

"Hmm , we decided to go on a training camp for the week .." Although I was forced to go .

"Wah ! That must be fun !"

"You must be joking .. How can a training camp be fun ?"

"Hehe , so when are you going ?"

"This saturday …"

"I hope you have fun Ryoma !"

Huh ? Who's going to have fun at camp like that ?

On Saturday …

Yawn~ Why must we meet so early in the morning ? I looked down at my watch . It's only 8 am ! If it wasn't for Inui-senpai and his trick , I would still be in my bed and sleeping ! Argh , i'm the pathetic one . It's because I developed feelings for her . Sigh . Echizen Ryoma , you're hopeless… I reached the meeting point and was greeted by Oishi-senpai and Kaidoh-senpai .

"Yo Echizen ! You're unexpectedly early ." Oishi-senpai waved .

"Ah .." I yawned . After another 5 minutes or so , the others arrived . Fuji-senpai saw me and gave me a smile . Okay , now i'm starting to think he's gone mad . A bus drove up the road and stopped beside us . From the bus , Ryuzaki-sensei walked out .

"Looks like you're all here ! You guys ready to set out ?"

"Yes !" The others shouted . Do I have a choice ?

"Well , if you guys are ready , you can board the bus ."

I stood there and watched Fuji-senpai and the others board the bus .

"Echizen ? Aren't you coming ?" Oishi-senpai asked when he saw that I was not moving .  
"Ah .. I just need to do something first ..." I told him . What am I waiting for ? I guess I should text the weirdo that i'm leaving for Karuizawa . I took out my phone and started typing a message . As I was about the send the message out , I heard someone calling my name . I shifted towards the direction of where the voice was coming from . From afar , I saw someone running towards me .

"Ryoma ! Hold on a minute !"

I looked closer . No way . The person ran up to me and panted .

"Chiyo ?!" Oishi-senpai shouted . The others that were in the bus looked out from the window as they heard Oishi-senpai shouting her name .

"W-weirdo ?"

"Looks like I made it . *Pant*" she panted .

"What are you doing here ?" I asked .

"To see you off ! Hehe !" She laughed .

"Huh ? I'm not even going any where far . Its just karuizawa ."

"Heh ? But we won't be seeing each other for a week .. I just want to see you before you leave ..Can't I do that ?" she blushed . To me , those words landed a blow on me . Those words are fatal . I could feel my face getting hotter .

"Well , I don't mind ..." I actually wanted to see you too .

"You'll be fine right ?" She asked .

"Huh ?"

"I heard that the road to Karuizawa is really steep . An accident happened there recently so .. i'm a little worried ." She looked worriedly at me as she clenched her hands near her chest .

"Che , it'll be fine .." I said . She continued looking at me with a worried . Then , she placed her hands behind her neck and removed something that was hanging around her neck . She walked over to me and placed her hands around my neck .

"Weirdo ?!"

"Don't move ! I can't put it on if you move !"

"Huh ?!" Put what on ?! I heard a soft click and she took a step back . I looked down on my neck and I saw a small red packet hanging around my neck . I touched it and looked at her .

"What's this ?"

"Its my good luck charm ! It's been with me since my parents passed away . It helped me pass many obstacles and problems . I always carry it with me . And now , i'm lending it to you ! It'll keep you safe !"

"Why ?" I don't get it .

"Huh ?"

"Its precious right ? So why are you giving it to me ?"

"Because...I don't want anything to happen to you… I want you to stay safe ."

I stood there and stared at her . For some reason , I can't help it but be happy on what she told me . I smiled and walked towards her .

"Ryoma ?" She called but I ignored her . I used my hands and shifted her fringe to the side . I leaned forward and gave her a kiss on her forehead . She never said anything . I felt eyes looking at us and I could hear gasp coming out from the bus . I pulled away from her slowly and gave her a pat on her head .

"I'll take good care of it . So don't worry so much . I need to go now . I'll text you when I reach ."

"A-ah.." she gave a soft reply .

I walked to the door of the bus and boarded it . I took an empty seat next to the window . Before the bus go , I looked outside the window . Takanishi-san's face was flushed red . Pfft . Baka . With her blushing face , she waved at me as the bus started up . I waved back at her and the bus took off. On the bus , I felt eyes on me . Horio , Katsuo , Katchiro, Osakada , Kikumaru-senpai and Momoshiro-senpai were glaring at me , Fuji-senpai smiled at me . Inui-senpai jotted down notes in his notebook . The others , well ,just stared . Geez , what is their problem ?

"Echizen … you're quite bold .." Kaidoh-senpai blushed . Geh , Why are you blushing ?!

"Echizen , you were really cool out there !" Oishi-senpai shouted as he patted my shoulder from his seat that was behind me . Sigh . Seriously ?They're both older than me and what ? They think that was bold and cool ? Geez , shouldn't they have more experienced than me ? I felt my phone vibrating . I flipped it open and saw a message from Takanishi-san .

"_Have a safe trip Ryoma ! I'll be waiting for you to come home ! Hehe :D Don't fall sick !"_

Pfft ! Idiot .. I text her back .

"_Baka ~!"_

I'll definitely come home . To where you are .

**Yay ! Chapter ended ! Erm this chapter I hope it was alright . I really really tried to made Chiyo and Ryoma closer than how they used to be . Oh well I added a cute scene at the end ! Hehe , He kissed her on the forehead ! XD Okay whatever . So there you have it ! Chapter 21 ! So sorry for not updating in a long time ! I went on holiday at a beach resort to celebrate XMAS ! Wee ! Soo happy but whatever . Next chapter will be out soon ! Promise ! I still have to update my other stories so bare with me TY :D Oh and my english is not that awesome so if there are any grammar mistake , please close on eye . I'll try my best to avoid it at all cost ! Thanks for the support people ! Love you guys ! Hearts ! **

**Disclaimer : I do not own POT ! :D**


	22. Chapter 22 : Broken

This is Karuizawa ? You have got to be joking . Not that I never came here before but , the change is .. crazy . I stood before the inn that we were about I stay at . The inn looks .. unexpectedly clean and it doesn't look run down like the last time . Did they do some renovations ?

"Ryoma ! What are you standing around for ? Come on , the others are already inside ." Ryuzaki-sensei called out to me . I followed her inside the inn and looked around the place . At least it looks better than the last time I came here .

"Alright guys , after I split you all in pairs , go to your rooms to unpack and then we'll meet at the dining room for lunch . Ah Sakuno , you and Tomoka will be staying at the room next to the kitchen , it'll be easier for you ."

"Yes !"

Ryuzaki-sensei then took out a piece of paper .

"So , here's the pairing .

Room A : Tezuka , Inui .

Room B : Kikumaru , Momoshiro .

Room C : Oishi , Kaidoh ."

Well Kaidoh-senpai and Oishi-senpai sure are lucky . They don't have to share a room with any one of them . So now , It leaves me , Horio , Katsuo , Katchiro , Kawamura-senpai and Fuji-senpai . God I hope I don't get Fuji-senpai .

"Room D : Horio , Kawamura .

Room E : Katsuo , Katchiro .

Room F : Fuji , Ryoma ."

whoa ? What ?!

"So that's that . Please go up and unpack .My room will be just by the hallway over there . We'll meet down here in an hour ." Ryuzaki-sensei said as she walked towards her room . As I was about to call out to her , Fuji-senpai placed his hands on my shoulder .

"Echizen , looks like we're roommates . Lets get along well ." he gave me a smile .

Someone , kill me ! Why in the world did I get the room with Fuji-senpai ?! Coming to this camp is already worse enough and now , I have to share a room with the most sadistic guy in the world ?! I rather share a room with manager than him ! I shook his hands of and headed upstairs . Sigh , is this camp going to get any worse ?

"Well , this is … unexpected ." Fuji-senpai said as the both of us stood at the door . We stared at the bed that was in front of us . This is madness ! I'm going home ! I turned around and as I was about to walk out of the room , Fuji-senpai held on to my hands .

"Echizen , where are you going ?" he asked .

"Where else ?! Home !" I shouted . He must be crazy if he thinks i'm going to stay here .

"Why ?"

"HUH ?! Are you blind ?! There's only one bed there and its for two people ! I'm not going to sleep on the same bed with a guy !" I am not gay !

"You can't leave , Inui has the data on Chiyo . If you want to get those data from him , you have to stay ."

I looked at him . Why is he so concern about this ? Isn't he on Inui-senpai's side ? But , he's right . I totally forgot about Inui-senpai's data . Argh !

"...Fine.. I'll stay . But get this straight , i'm not going to share the same bed as you !"

"But then , you won't have a place to sleep . Oh I know , how about we draw a line in the middle of the bed ."

"Draw it yourself if you want ! Sigh . Ah whatever , I'll sleep on the couch !" I pointed to the couch that was beside the bathroom . At least its better then sharing the same bed with him ! "You can have the whole bed to yourself .."

"But Echizen , won't you be cold ? You won't have any good night sleep .."

"I'm fine ! Anyways why are you being so nice to me ?! Stop it ! It's creeping me out !"

"Why you say ? Because I want to ?" He smiled . Ah ! That smile is the reason why I don't want to share the same room as him ! It freaks me out ! Ah to hell with him ! I walked in the room and sat down on the couch . I placed my bag down and took out my phone .

"Are you going to text Chiyo ?" he whispered in my ear . Wah ?! I flinched and fell down on the floor .

"Fuji-senpai ! Just what the hell do you want ?!" Why are you bothering me !?

"The truth .. I want to know what really happened two years ago .."

"Don't you already know ?!"

"That's not the truth ."

"Huh ?!"

"Something's off about what Momo told me . And ever since Oishi and Kaidoh reconciled with each other , it doesn't make any sense now . I can't really believe what Momo told me two years ago . I want to real truth . I don't want to be kept in the dark any longer . Echizen , won't you tell me your side of the story ?" He reached out his hands . I sat down on the floor and looked at his hands . The truth ? Heh , don't be crazy ! I slapped his hands away and stood up .

"If you want the truth , find out for yourself ." I scoffed at him and walked out of the room . Ah , i'm already exhausted from all that . Sigh . I made my way down to the dining hall only to find that I was the first one there . Great , finally I can have some peace and quiet .I sat down and closed my eyes . God i'm tired . I hope this stupid camp ends fast . As I was about to fall asleep, I felt someone standing at the door and staring at me . I opened my eyes and saw Tezuka-senpai standing there .

"Echizen .. how have you been ?" he asked .

"What do you want ?" I asked .

"How about a tennis match ? We haven't played each other in quite a long time ."

Oh come on ! Not another one ! I can't even get some rest ! I stood up and walked past him and out of the room . What is wrong with him and Fuji-senpai ? They're all acting weird around me . I walked out of the inn and walked around the tennis courts . Hmm , i'm surprised that they have a vending machine all the way out here . Maybe I should get a drink to cool myself down . I walked up to the vending machine . Just then , I saw a shadow behind me . I looked over my shoulder and saw Inui-senpai standing there and jotting down notes . It seemed normal so I just walked to the vending machine . As I took a step , I swore I heard his footsteps . As I walked , he moved as well . What the hell ? I moved to another area and he followed me . Wherever I go , I always see him behind me . I have no idea what's going on but , is Inui-senpai stalking me ?! Okay what the hell is wrong with Tezuka-senpai , Fuji-senpai and Inui-senpai ?! They're all weird ! Ah whatever ! Let just go back inside the inn . It's already been one hour . As I walked back to the inn and headed towards the dining room , I bumped into Kaidoh-senpai and Oishi-senpai .

"Oh ! Echizen ! There you are ! We've been looking everywhere for you ." Oishi-senpai said .

"Sorry , I went out for some air .."

"Well , come on , lets go in . Lunch will be served soon ."

"Right.."

The three of us headed in . The moment I walked in to the dining room . Fuji-senpai and the others were seated in one of the tables that were there . I am not going to sit with them , so I went on ahead and took the table next to theirs . Oishi-senpai and Kaidoh-senpai joined me . Speaking of lunch , I don't even think I have the appetite to eat . Since Osakada and Ryuzaki is cooking . Sigh .

"By the way Echizen , you're sharing a room with Fuji . Will you be alright ?" Oishi-senpai asked .

"I'll be fine ..."

"Really ? If you're not comfortable with Fuji , I could switch places with you . I can just let sensei know ."

"I said-"

"We're fine Oishi ." Fuji-senpai's voice came from behind . He gave us a smile and took a seat next to Oishi-senpai . "We're fine sharing a room . Isn't that right , Ryoma-chan ?"

Ryoma-chan ?! Who does he think he is ?

"Fuji-senpai , can you please don't call me that ?!"

"What's wrong with calling you Ryoma-chan ?" he looked innocently at me .

"Because i'm a guy ! Stop calling me as if i'm a girl ! And anyways , what do you want ?!"

"I thought that we'd have lunch together . We are roommates after all ."

I looked at him . He's .. up to something ! That smile on his face is telling me that he's up to something . Ah whatever !

"..do what you want .." I sighed . After lunch , we headed to the tennis court and did some self practice . Fuji-senpai clung on to me just like he did during lunch . He asked me to be his practice partner . I didn't want him to keep pestering me so , I just went on with his idea . The whole day was self practice . At night , I slept on the couch . Geez , I didn't expect it to be so cold !

Day two .After breakfast ,Ryuzaki-sensei asked us to go for a run up the hill and back down . During the run , I have this weird feeling that someone is watching me . Don't ask . It's either Fuji-senpai or Inui-senpai . Ah ! I just want to go home and sleep ! Geez , this is driving me insane ! After that we had some practice matches . I played with Fuji-senpai and Inui-senpai . Geh I don't even know why I even end up with these two !

"Alright , that's all for today . You have the whole evening to yourselves now ."

"Alright ! Hey guys , lets head inside and play a game !" Kikumaru-senpai shouted . Is he a kid ?

"Sure sure ! Eiji-senpai ! Lets go !" Momoshiro-senpai shouted in agreement .

"That sounds fun .. Ryoma .. would you like to join us ?" Fuji-senpai asked . Huh ? Why would I want to join you people ?!

"No way … I must be crazy if I join you guys .." Plus i'm tired and i'm having a slight headache. I need rest . I felt a chill . Geez , I must be coming down with a flu .

"Aww .. but it'll be fun ..."

Just that moment , a shadow appeared from behind .

"Like I said-"

"Ryoma ." As I was about to tell Fuji-senpai off , a voice cut me off. That.. that voice ! No . It can't be .. It just can't . I slowly turned around . A women was standing there . No .. Why is she here ?

"Ryoma , its been a while . How are you doing ?" she asked .

"...Kaa-san..."

Inside the inn , in the dining room...

My mother and I sat down and we faced each other . My body started to tremble . I haven't seen my mother in two years . I'm not prepared for this sudden visit . And how does she know that i'm here ?

"You've grown Ryoma ." she smiled at me .

"Ah..." I don't know what to say . I.. really missed her ..so much .

"I missed you Ryoma .."

"..Me too .. How's your family ?"

"We're getting along just fine . I'm so glad you asked ."

"Not really ..What are you doing here kaa-san ? How do you know that I was here ?"

"I went to your apartment to look for you , but you weren't there . But I heard from a neighbor that you went on a trip . So I asked around and I found out you went to Karuizawa .We haven't seen each other in two years , I just wanted to see you "

"Oh , I see.."

All of a sudden , her face changed . She looked down , away from my face . What's going on ?

"Ryoma , actually I have something to give to you .." She took a letter out from her bag and passed it to me . I took it and opened it . Its from .. Oyaji . As I read the letter , my eyes widened .

"Apparently , Nanjiroh has found someone special while traveling and so , he decided to settle down in Hawaii ."

"Why are you telling me this ?"

"I just thought you needed to know .. "

"I see...You didn't have to tell me, I never even cared for him " I crushed the piece of paper in my fist . He's always like this . He always like this !

"And Ryoma … I also have another reason for coming her today .." she said .

Huh ? I looked at her . There's more ?

"What is it ?" There's more ?

"Actually Ryoma … My family and I are planning to move to Paris ."

What ?

"We're leaving japan for good and we don't plan on coming back ..I came here tonight...to see you for the last time .."

This...this is not happening.. i'm having a bad dream right ? There's no way my mother will do that to me . There's no way ..

"Ryoma .. take this .." She pushed an envelope towards me . "This is just something from me and my husband . We saved it up so that it will help you to continue your studies until University . I hope you'll accept it ."

Money ? She's giving me money ? I.. I don't need it ! I don't need their money ! I don't need that man's money ! I pushed the money back to her .

"I'm fine .. I can manage . You're going to Paris right ? Why don't you guys use that money to help settle down ?"

"Ryoma .. are you sure ?"

"I'll be fine . Really . Don't worry about me ."

"Ryoma..."

Honk Honk ! A car's honk came from outside .

"That's your call right ? Go on , i'll be fine .. Come on ,i'll send you out ." I stood up and led my mother outside . I walked past Oishi-senpai and the others that were sitting down in the Inn's living room . I stood at the door and bid my mother goodbye .

"Ryoma .. are you really okay ?"

"I'm..fine . I understand . Really . I hope you have a nice life in Paris , kaa-san." I forced myself to say it . Just go . Hurry up and go . I don't know how long I can hold myself back any more .

"Ryoma..." She walked towards me hugged me . "Thank you , Ryoma . For understanding .Even though I have a new family ,you'll always be my son . Always . I love you Ryoma ." She said and gave me a kiss on the forehead . I stood there , unable to say anything . She released me and walked out of the door . She waved me good bye . I stood there as I watch her car drive away .The door closed and I stood there. I love you too Kaa-san . But , if you really did loved me , why ? Why are you going somewhere so far away ?! Why are you leaving me behind all alone ?! Why ?! Oyaji too ! Even thought I say I hate you . I never actually meant it ! So why?! Why are the people that I love and care about leaving me ?! Why ?! My heart hurts . I feel light headed . My mind went blank and before I knew it , I was falling . My body felt cold and stiff . I hit the ground .

"Echizen !"

"Ryoma !"

I heard people calling my name but , I just can't move . I just want to disappear . And then , everything went black .It feels as though If anyone do anything else to me right now , I will break .

Chiyo..

I looked out the window and stared at the night sky . I wonder if Ryoma is eating right . I picked up my phone and looked at the key chain that Ryoma gave me . I smiled and jumped on my bed . The memories that Ryoma and I have together always make me smile . Then , I recalled the incident that morning . He kissed my forehead . I wonder what he meant by that ? Ack ! What am I thinking ?! I carried Kiki and held her up in the air .

"Kiki , what's wrong with me ? I just can't stop thinking about Ryoma .But whenever I think of him , my heart beats really fast ! Kiki , am I sick ?"

"Meow ~"

"Hmm , what does that mean Kiki ?"

Then , my phone rang . I looked at it . Oishi-senpai ?

"Hello ? Oishi-senpai ?"

"Chiyo ! Something happened ! What am I going to do ? Oh dear . What am I going to do ?!"

"Oishi-senpai ..calm down ..What's wrong ?"

Heh ? What ? I dropped my phone after hearing what Oishi-senpai told me .

"_Chiyo !Echizen fainted !"_

**Oh My god . I can't believe I was about to cry when I wrote this chapter . Okay so , Fuji , Tezuka and Inui are trying to get closer to Ryoma in order to find out the truth that happened two years ago . Fuji and Ryoma ended up as roommates so he's the closest to Ryoma out of the three . But , something unexpected happened . His mom showed up and told him that she's leaving for Paris and never coming back . His dad too has settled down with his new family in Hawaii . Ryoma couldn't take all of this all at once and he fainted ! What's going to happen in the next chapter ? Read to find out ! Thanks for the support guys ! I really love you all ! Hearts ! **

**Disclaimer : I do not own POT :D**


	23. Chapter 23 : My Precious

All of the regulars gathered around at the lounge of the inn . Kaidoh-senpai was pacing up and down , crossing his arms . Fuji , was standing beside Tezuka and Inui , looking worried . The others were sitting down on the sofa . They stayed there and waited . Just then , the door to one of the rooms opened and Oishi walked out from it .

"Oishi-senpai ! How's Echizen ?!" Kaidoh ran over to him . Oishi stood there and shook his head .

"He's still unconscious and he has a high fever." Oishi said with a worried look on his face .

"We have to get help ! We need to get him to a hospital !"

"That's ..."

The front door swung opened and Ryuzaki-sensei struggled to get inside . Apparently , there was a huge thunder storm outside . The storm started out a while ago just as Ryuzaki-sensei went to get some help . She closed the door shut and took off her raincoat .

"Its not use . I can't get help . The storm is just too strong and I just saw the news . The road out has been blocked by a landslide . We're stuck here ." she said .

"No way .. Does that mean we can't get Echizen to a hospital ?" Fuji asked .

"I'm afraid not ."

"Damn it !" Kaidoh clenched his fist and punched it against the wall .

"Kaidoh .. Damn.." Oishi said in a low tone .

"How's he doing Oishi ? How long has he been unconscious ?" Ryuzaki-sensei asked .

"He's not doing so good .. He's been like this for the past two hours .."

"Just what happened ? His mother came and talked with him for quite sometime . But after she left , he fainted ."

The room went silent . Then , Inui spoke .

"If i'm not wrong , perhaps she told Echizen something which shocked him to the point of fainting . Everybody has a point where they can't take in too much stress and heartbreak . Maybe she told Echizen something which pushed him to the point of where he couldn't take it any longer . And thus , he fainted ." Inui pushed his specs up .

"I see .."

"I can't help but agree with Inui .." Oishi said .

"If only Chiyo were here .." Kaidoh looked down at the floor . "Oishi-senpai .. does she know ?"

"She knows . I called her just before the reception got cut off by the lightning . She was-"

BANG BANG BANG ! Just then , someone was banging loudly against the front door . Everyone turned to look at the door .

"Just who is out there in this storm ?" Oishi walked over and opened the door . Just as he opened the door , someone wearing a raincoat ran in suddenly and bumped into Oishi .

"WHOA ?!" The both of them fell . Oishi landed on his butt and the mysterious person was leaning against Oishi's chest .

"Are you okay ?" Oishi asked .

"Ouch ...I'm sorry .." The Mysterious person said .

"Its fine- wait that voice !" He went over and flipped the raincoat's hood off the person's head . "CHIYO ?!" He shouted .

"CHIYO ?!" Kaidoh-senpai shouted as well . He ran over and helped her up . Oishi stood up as well .

"How- How in the world did you get here ?! The storm out there is crazy !" Oishi shouted .

"Well I-"

Then , a huge thunder struck and the flashes of the lighting lit the room .

"KYA !" Chiyo shouted and she covered her ears . Everyone looked at her with their eyes wide open .

"Chiyo .. you're scared of thunder and lightning ?" Kaidoh asked . She nodded .

"How .. If you're that scared of thunder and lightning , how did you managed to get all the way over here in this crazy thunderstorm ?!"

"I..I just kept thinking about Ryoma .. I am scared but .. the thought of what happened to Ryoma scares me more . I wanted to see him . I want to see him . So I made my way here . But during the journey , I heard that a landslide blocked the way . So I got off the bus and walked through the forest , following the path of the road . And then I saw the sign that leads here . So I followed it and I manged to find my way here .." Chiyo said as her eyes got watery .

"That's reckless . What happened if you got hurt ? Or worse . What happened if another landslide occurs ? You might get caught up in it !" Fuji walked over to her .

"I don't know ! All I knew was that I wanted to see Ryoma ! Ryoma was the only thing that was on my mind ! I didn't thought about anything else . I was .. I was just so worried about him ..." She looked down on the floor and clenched her shorts with her fist .

"Chiyo ..."

"Oishi-senpai , Where's Ryoma ?" Chiyo ran over to Oishi and pulled his shirt .

"He's in his room . Come on , I'll bring you there . Do you guys want to see Echizen ?" Oishi turned and looked at the others . Horio and the others stood up and walked back to their rooms . Sakuno and Tomoka just ignored them . Kikumaru and Kawamura stood up and walked away . Momoshiro just sat down there and stared .

"We'll come .." Fuji said . Tezuka and inui stood behind him and nodded .

"Okay . Then lets go . Chiyo , this way ." He lead Chiyo and the others towards Ryoma's room . Kaidoh , Tezuka , Fuji , Inui and Ryuzaki-sensei followed . They headed towards Ryoma's room and once they were outside the room , Oishi opened the door . Chiyo walked in and just as she saw Ryoma , She ran to his side .

Ryoma was lying down and he was panting heavily . Sweat was forming on his forehead .

"Ryoma ! Ryoma ! Can you hear me ?" She said but there was no reply . Ryoma just laid there , panting . She placed her hands on his forehead to feel his temperature . "He's burning up !"

"Is there no way we can get him to a hospital ?" Fuji asked .

"The road's blocked . And the reception here got cut when the lightning struck . We can't get help ." Ryuzaki-sensei said .

"That just means .. we're stuck here with no help ?" Tezuka asked .

"No way . What's going to happen to Echizen ? He's not getting any better !" Oishi started to panic .

"Well standing around and worrying about it is not going to help Ryoma get any better !" Chiyo shouted . She stood up all of a sudden and ran out of the room . A few seconds later , she ran back in and dropped a bag on the floor . Then , she took out a bunch of stuff . Towels , A hot water bottle that serves as a pillow and most importantly , Medicine .

"Chiyo ? Where did you get all these stuff ?"

"My house . I just thought that maybe these could help so I just brought them over ."

"Chiyo you're ... Are you suggesting that you'll take care of Echizen ?" Kaidoh asked . Chiyo smiled and nodded .

"Yeah .. When I was sick , he stayed with me for the entire night . He never left my side . And so , I want to take care of Ryoma this time ."

"Not like that though .." Oishi pointed at Chiyo's clothing . It was covered in mud and its wet . "You need a shower first ! What's going to happen if you got sick too !?"

"But i'm- Ah choo !" Chiyo sneezed .

"There , you see . Now go on and have a hot bath ! I'll take care of Echizen for now . So don't worry . You do have some clothes right ?"

"Well yeah .."

"Great , now go and have a hot bath ."

"T-thank you Oishi-senpai ." Chiyo bowed and left the room but then , she popped her head back in . "Erm , Oishi-senpai , where's the bathroom ?"

"I'll show you the way ." Ryuzaki-sensei said as she walked out of the room . Back inside the room , Oishi , Kaidoh , Fuji , Tezuka and Inui stood around . Oishi was wiping the sweat off Ryoma's face and Kaidoh was standing beside Oishi .

"That girl , Chiyo , seems to really care about Echizen . She even went to the extend of coming down all over here when she heard that Echizen had fainted ." Fuji said .

"That's right . She's certainly amazing ." Inui nodded . "I've been wondering though , are the two of them going out with each other ?"

"Why do you care ?" Kaidoh hissed at them .

"Chiyo.." Oishi said . "She's a good girl . She's always been there for Echizen . No matter what happens , she never left him alone . The two of them share a strong bond between them ."

"It seems so ." Tezuka folded his arms .

Back at Chiyo ..  
I looked down at my T-shirt and shorts . Man , its all soaked in mud and water . I've even dirtied the floor ! I need to clean it up later . I can't be irresponsible .

"You're name is Takanishi Chiyo , am I right ?" Ryuzaki-sensei called out to me . I turned to look at her .

"Yes ! I'm sorry for not introducing myself ! I'm Takanishi Chiyo ! Nice to meet you sensei !" I literally shouted as I bowed . Where are my manners ?! I didn't even greet my senpais ! All of a sudden , Ryuzaki-sensei started laughing .

"You don't have to be so worked up over something as small as this . You're an interesting girl ." She laughed . "Nice to meet you , Takanishi-san ." She held her hands out to me . I smiled at her and I took her hands .

"Yeah !" I nodded .

"Are you worried about Ryoma ?" She asked .

"Eh ? Well … yeah .."

Ryoma .. I wonder what happened . He's a strong person . He wouldn't have fainted due to an illness . Something must have happened .

"Don't worry so much alright ? He'll be fine . Ryoma's strong . I know he'll get better soon ." She smiled at me .

"Yeah .." But even though she says that , I still .. can't stop worrying . What happens if he .. I don't want to lose him . Ryoma ..

"But even so , you're amazing Takanishi-san . You even came all this way just to see Ryoma . And in this thunderstorm ! Its dangerous you know ."

"Well I-"

"I know .. you're worried about Ryoma ." She patted my head . "But you have to be careful too you know .. Don't do it again . You got it ?"

"Yes !"

"Oh we're here ." We stopped in front of a room . This must be the bathroom . "Have a hot shower alright ? If you got sick too , how are you going to take care of your Boyfriend ?"

"Eh ? Boyfriend ? Who ?"

"Eh ? Isn't Ryoma your Boyfriend ?"

"Huh ? W-what are you talking about ?"

"Didn't you say he stayed with you when you're sick ? You even came all the way here to see him . Aren't you guys going out with each other ?"

"E-eh ?! W-we-we-we're- ! R-Ryoma is...he's ..erm .. Ryo- .." I started getting all flustered and my voice started to stutter .The words just won't come out of my mouth . My face started to turn red . "I'm going to take a shower now . Thank you for showing me the way here !" I shouted and I ran inside the bathroom . I slammed the door shut and squatted down on the floor . What's this ? This weird feeling again . Why did I have that kind of reaction when she asked me that . '_Ryoma and I are not going out with each other'_ . I could have just told her that ! But yet , Why can't I say it ? My heart started beating fast and my face just got redder . Why am I like this ? Whenever it comes to Ryoma , I always have this weird heart beat and I can't seem to think at all .

"Ah ! What am I wasting time for ! I have to shower and get back to Ryoma's side !" I said to myself . I took a hot shower and put on a set of clothes that I had brought along with me . Right , lets get back to Ryoma's side ! I made my way back to the room . As I opened the door , everyone turned towards me .

"Chiyo you're back ." Oishi-senpai said . I walked over towards him and where Ryoma was .

"Yeah . How's Ryoma ?" I asked .

"He's ..still .."

I turned to look at Ryoma . His face is so pale ! This is not going to work ! I need to do something which will help him get better !

"Oishi-senpai ! Where's the kitchen ?" I asked .

"Eh ? Its down the hallway … to the left of the stairs ."

Without saying anything else , I ran out of the room and down the stairs towards the kitchen . Right ! Time to start 'operation Taking care of Ryoma' ! I pulled my sleeve up and started taking ice out of the refrigerator . I placed them all in a large bowl and soaked a towel in it . Next , I started to boil some water and I made some Congee . Well , even though he's unconscious now , he may wake up later . Its best to prepare early ! After the Congee was done cooking , I ran back up to Ryoma's room , carrying the bowl of ice water . Once I entered the room , I found Oishi-senpai and the others taking a nap . They must be tired . I went over and woke them up .

"Erm Oishi-senpai , Kaidoh-senpai , Fuji-senpai , Tezuka-senpai , Inui-senpai ." I called out to them one by one . They opened their eyes and looked at me .

"Ah Chiyo ?"

"Erm , You guys must be tired . Why don't you go back to you rooms and have some sleep ?"

"But , what about Echizen ?" Kaidoh-senpai asked me .

"I'll take care of him . You guys should have some sleep . I'm sure you all must be tired . And also , you guys had training today right ? I'm sure you're all exhausted . Why don't you go and have some sleep , leave Ryoma to me ." I smiled at them .

"But Chiyo , will you be alright ?"

"I'll be fine ! Now go on , I'll call you if anything goes wrong ."

At first they looked hesitant . But then , they stood up and left the room . Before they leave , they stopped at the door and looked at me .

"We're counting on you Chiyo ."

"Yeah ! Just leave It to me !"

Then , they left the room . Okay ! First I have to try to make his fever go down . I went over and sat down beside Ryoma . I took the soaked towel from the ice water and I wiped Ryoma's head and neck with it . After that , I took a cooling sheet from my bag and placed it on his forehead . Just as I did that , Ryoma groaned .

"Ryoma ?" I called his name . I was hoping , hoping for him to open his eyes . Just then his eyes opened slightly . "Ryoma !" I said . He never said anything . Instead , he just panted . I went over and took the fever medicine and I helped Ryoma up .

"Ryoma , open your mouth a little . You have to take some medicine or you'll never get better .."

He never said anything . Normally , he would call me names and tease me but , he's not . He really is sick . I fed him the fever medicine and he went back to sleep . I continued to wipe his sweat off and I changed the cooling pad . The cooling pad just gets warm too easily . Could it be that its not cold enough ? If only there were something colder . Wait . I know ! I ran back down to the kitchen and then I took ice out from the freezer .

"I'll just crush it !"

I started crushing the ice with a mixer and after the ice was crushed , I I poured them in a plastic bag . I went back to the room and replaced the cooling pad with the bag of ice .

"That should do it .."

"Hng..." Ryoma groaned . Is Ryoma getting worse ?!

"Ryoma ? Are you okay ? Are you feeling unwell ?" I asked .

"I..m.."

"Huh ?" I couldn't hear what he was saying so I l leaned in closer .

"… I'm so tired...of it … Kaa-san... I wished...w..e could go ...back to how.. it was before... I miss ..you..Kaa-san … I miss you and oyaji... I miss you all... so much ..."

Ryoma … I know the feeling of when your parents are no longer with you . I know how it feels . I know how painful it is . I always thought that Ryoma was strong and I thought that he could withstand everything . But , I guess I was wrong . He is just like me . Ryoma .. I took his hands and held it with both of my hands .

"It's okay Ryoma .. It's okay .. Pain , pain , go away … Don't be sad , Don't cry . I'll stay by your side so , It'll be alright ..Ryoma .."

I kissed his hands and held his hands tightly in mine . When I was a child , I often get nightmares and my mother used to do that to me and it always helped . I just hoped it'll help Ryoma . Soon after , he stopped moaning and he went back to sleep . I smiled and I changed the packet of ice again .

"Ryoma … Just get well soon kay ? I'll make you breakfast , lunch or dinner when you get well . So , hurry up and get well soon ..." My eyes started to get heavy and before I knew it , I fell asleep .

The next morning …

Oishi and Kaidoh were heading towards Ryoma's room .

"I wonder how Echizen's doing .." Kaidoh asked Oishi .

"We'll know soon enough .." Oishi replied .

Just as they were about to reach Ryoma's room , the bumped into Fuji in the hallway .

"Are you guys going to see Echizen ?" Fuji asked .

"Fuji .."

"Well , i'm going to see him as well ..Shall we go together ?"

"Wait a second Fuji , Oishi , Kaidoh ." Ryuzaki-sensei called out to them . The three of them turned around and saw everyone there . Tezuka , Inui , Momoshiro , Kikumaru , Kawamura , Horio and the others .

"Tezuka and I figured that we'll all go and see Ryoma . So lets go together ."

"Sensei .."

"Come on , lets go ."

They said nothing and so , all of them made their way towards Ryoma's room . Oishi opened the door and stepped inside followed by the others . They stopped at where they were and looked at the sight that was in front of them .

"Oh my ..."

"Well what do you know … They look cute together .." Fuji smiled .

Chiyo was sleeping by Ryoma's side with her hand holding on to Ryoma's hand . Oishi's sweat dropped and Kaidoh's face was flushed red .

"Maybe we should come back later ?" Oishi suggested but just then , Ryoma groaned .

"Echizen !" They shouted . Then , Ryoma opened his eyes . He looked at the ceiling and wondered what happened . Then , he felt someone at his bedside . He turned to look and to his surprise , he saw Chiyo . She was holding his hands and she was sleeping soundly . Ryoma used his other hand to feel the bag that was on his forehead . He took it off and placed it at the bed side . He sat up and looked at his senpais .

"What happened to me ?" Ryoma asked .

"You mean , you don't remember ?" Fuji asked . Ryoma shook his head .

"Echizen , you fainted ! And you were having a really bad fever last night !"

"I was ? I don't remember .. All I remembered was ..." Then , Ryoma looked down at Chiyo . He touched her faced with his fingers . "All I remembered was her calling my name .."

Just then , Chiyo groaned as Ryoma touched her face . She opened her eyes and saw Ryoma sitting up . She jumped up .

"Ryoma ?! You're awake ! Thank god ! Are you feeling okay ?! Do you feel sick ? Let's get you to a doc-"

And then , Ryoma did something which shocked everyone in the room . He pulled Chiyo towards him and hugged her close to him . He locked his arms around her and squeezed her close to his chest . Chiyo's face grew bright red and her heart started beating fast . She felt herself melting into Ryoma's arms . It felt like time had stopped for a moment and no one was moving . It was only the two of them . Ryoma closed his eyes and whispered to her ears .

" ..Chiyo .. Thank you .."

Ba-thump ! Her heart skipped a beat .Ryoma had never called her by her name before. Now , all she could think of was Ryoma . Nothing else crossed her mind . Ryoma was all she could think about . Ryoma released her and she sat there with her face flushed red from head to toe . Ryoma gave her gentle smile which made her face grow even redder .

"Wha-what was that !" She shouted in embarrassment .

"What do mean what ? I just hugged you that's all ."

"A-ah ? You must still be having a fever ! Y-you're not thinking straight at all ! Why would you hug me in the first place !" Chiyo touched his forehead . Their eyes met and Chiyo got even more flustered . "You're still having a fever ! I'm going to get you some food and medicine so just stay here alright ?!"

"Like i'm going to go anywhere ?"

"Ah ! I'll just go and-"

"Oi , weirdo . Don't get lost ."

"A-a-ahh~ Ryoma you idiot !" Chiyo shouted and she ran out of the room . Ryoma sat down there and smiled to himself .

"You're the idiot .." He said softly . Then he looked at his senpais . They were staring at him . "What ?"

Oishi and Kaidoh was just too shock to even say something . Inui dropped his pen and tezuka just stood there as usual . Momoshiro faked him a smile . Kikumaru and kawamura were deep in thought . Horio , Katsuo , Katchiro and Tomoka scoffed at him . Sakuno stood there and stared . Fuji then walked up to Ryoma and sat down beside him .

"How do you feel Ryoma ?" he asked .

"I'll feel better if you'll leave me alone ."

"So that you can be alone with Chiyo ?"

Ryoma twitched .

"So i'm right ?"

"You know what Fuji-senpai ? If I weren't in this state , I'd punch you in the stomach ."

"Okay Okay , I'm sorry . We'll leave . We have practice too . We'll come back to see you after lunch ."

"You don't have to anyways ."

"I'll come back anyways ." Fuji gave him a smile which made Ryoma flinch . Then , they left the room and Ryoma was alone again . He laid back down on his bed and closed his eyes . Not long after , the door opened and Chiyo walked in with a bowl of congee .

"Ryoma ! Here ! Eat this ! You'll feel much better once you take some food . After that , you have to take your medicine as well ."

"Thanks .." He took the bowl of Congee and took a spoonful of it . "It's good .."

"You're just hungry .."

After Ryoma had eaten the bowl of congee , he took his medicine .

"There , why don't you have some sleep ?"

"I'm not sleepy .."

"But you need some rest ..I'll go wash this okay ?"

Just then , Ryoma grabbed hold of her hands . She turned around to look at him .

"Ryoma ?" Chiyo said .

"Before you go … I have something I need to tell you .."

"Okay ..What is it ?"

"Its going to take a while so .. why don't you sit down .."

Chiyo stood there and looked at Ryoma . It seemed serious , so she sat down beside his bed and listened to him .

"You know about my parents , My ex Girlfriend and my best friend right ?"

"You mean Like how your parents are divorced and you ex cheated on you with your Best friend ?"

Ryoma nodded .  
"What's wrong ?" Chiyo asked with a worried look on her face .

Ryoma took a deep breath .

"I'm going to tell you everything that happened these past few years … so listen carefully.."

**Okay Guys ! SO SO SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING FOR ABOUT A MONTH! I was just so busy and I was on vacation ! I was also worrying about my results and so . But I passed my exams ! Yays ! Okay whatever :D This is an extremely long chapter ! Took me a whole day to write it ! So basically , Chiyo went all the way out to come and see Ryoma ! Aww ! She took care of him the whole night and not forgetting to mention , Ryoma hugged her ! In front of everyone ! . Okay … so .. Ryoma is about to tell Chiyo what really happened in the past two years . What's going to happen ? Read to find out ! Many many thanks for all the support ! I really love you guys ! I hoped you enjoyed this chapter ! Heart you guys ! 3**

**Disclaimer : I do not own POT :D**


	24. Chapter 24 : Our hearts

I sat down on my bed and looked at Chiyo . It's probably time to tell her what happened between my parents , Ryuzaki and Momoshiro-senpai . I can trust her enough to tell her . She sat down beside me and kept quiet . I took a deep breath and started telling her about what had happened .

"Ryoma , are you sure you want to tell me ? I mean , Isn't it unpleasant ? The memories .." She stopped me before I could start . I reached out to her and patted her head with my hands .

"Its fine . I want you to know ."

"O..Okay . I'm ready . You can start whenever ."

"Alright ." So here goes nothing . "When I was in my first year of middle school ,I came back from America because my Dad asked me to and so I attended Seishun middle school . Before attending the school , I met Ryuzaki Sakuno at a tennis tournament that I joined . She was there with her Grandmother , Ryuzaki-sensei . Well , I was lost so I asked her for directions and we sort of got to know each other when I found out that she was also a student at Seishun Middle school . I joined the tennis club there and I eventually became a regular player . During those days , I became close to the senpais that I met and eventually , I became Momoshiro-senpai's best friend . I also became quite close with Ryuzaki as she was always at our tennis matches , cheering us on while we journeyed through the nationals . She was also close to Momoshiro-senpai and the three of us always hung out together . As time passes on , I took a liking to her . After the nationals , she confessed to me and eventually we went out with each other ."

Before I continued , I took a glance at Chiyo . She was listening attentively to me . Yet , she's looking at me with a worried look .

"Everything was normal . Ryuzaki and I went out with each other for that entire year and during our second year . We never fought . I guess you could say we were happy . We hung out a lot together and also with Momoshiro-senpai . The three of us were always together . We played tennis together , ate lunch at our usual Burger joint , studied at the school library and also other stuff . During our third year , my parents weren't really getting along with each other and they were constantly shouting at each other at home . I never really liked being at home . I always felt like shit whenever i'm at home . But , even so , I still stayed happy because I knew that I had Ryuzaki and Momoshiro-senpai . Because of that , I was able to stay strong . They were my pillars of support . Well … That's what I thought .. until ..." I clenched my fist hard . Damn it ! Why do I feel like my heart is being struck with a knife ?! These painful memories are running through my mind . "..Until I saw them kissing on the school roof … I saw them kissing . My best-friend and my Girlfriend . I asked them what the hell they were doing ..and they told me that they were in love with each other . I was really angry and thus , a fight started between me and momoshiro-senpai . We were yelling at each other and throwing fist at each other . I was just so angry at him . And then , Ryuzaki shouted _"Ryoma-kun ! Stop it ! Stop hitting Takeshi ! I never even loved you in the first place ! I was only using you to get close to Takeshi because he was your best friend ! I was in love with him from the beginning ! So stopping hitting him already ! Getting close to you , confessing to you and going out with you was all a plan to get to Takeshi ! I've never loved you ! You're nothing in my heart !" _. Momoshiro-senpai pushed me a side and stood beside her . He shouted _"You hear that you brat ? You're nothing to her . So stop clinging on to someone who doesn't even love you ! Disgusting bastard ." _At that moment , I felt that my heart was about to tear apart .When I went home , I found out that my mother had an affair with another man and that my parents are filing for a divorce . My father was going to travel overseas and my mother is going to marry that guy once they're divorced .They were going to leave me alone . And that's when..." I choked on my words . My shoulders shook . These memories are making me … I felt like I was about to cry ..No , I can't cry ! I'm not going to cry ! Just then , Chiyo got up from where she was and sat down on the bed beside me . She wrapped her arms around me and embraced me .

"W-weirdo ? What are you doing ? What , Do you feel sorry for me ?" I scoffed .

"No ." She replied .

"Are you trying to seduce me ? We're on a bed you know ."

"Idiot ! Don't act like that !"

"Huh ?"

"Don't pretend that you're okay ! You don't have to pretend anymore ! I know its painful ! I know its hurting inside ! I know you want to cry …"

I kept quiet . I .. I felt like crying . But ..

"It's okay ! If you want to cry , then cry ! Its okay to cry ! You don't have to hold it back anymore ! So just cry ! Let it all out . You'll feel better .You can be yourself when you're with me , Ryoma ."

"Weirdo.." I couldn't bare it anymore . I wrapped my arms around her back and hugged her as tight as I could . Tears started flowing out of my eyes . "Sorry .. I ..."

"It's okay Ryoma . I'm here for you . It's okay ." She patted my back .

"I.. didn't know what to do . Back then , I felt hatred , I felt anger and I felt betrayed . Everyone that I loved , left me . I felt so... alone … It just hurts so much .How could they do this to me . How could they say those things .. Even my parents did something like that to me . Even though I said that I hated them ... all this time , I was hoping that they might come to their senses and come back home to me and we'll be a family again . But … that's hopeless now … A day ago , my mom told me that she's going to leave japan for Paris with her new family and she's not coming back anymore . My dad too , has settled down with his new family in Hawaii . We'll never be a family again .. I'm going to be ...alone again .." I cried . My body just won't stop shivering . Tears just won't stop flowing out of my eyes . Then , I felt Chiyo's hand on my head . She caressed it while saying something .

"Pain , pain , go away . Don't be sad anymore ." She said .

"What are you doing ?" I asked .

"My mom used to do this to me whenever i'm sad . It always calmed me down . So , i'm hoping it will for you .And , you're not alone anymore . You have me , Kaidoh-senpai and Oishi-senpai . So , pain , pain go away ." She repeated the same sentence over and over while touching my head .We stayed in this position for quite sometime . I eventually calmed down and stopped crying .

"Idiot...Why did you come .." I asked while still hugging her .

"What do you mean why ? You were sick so-"

I pulled myself away from her and I looked at her .

"No . Why did you come into my life ?"

"Huh ?" She looked confusedly at me .

"I .. I was fine being alone before you came into my life . I was getting used to being lonely .."

"You shouldn't get used to being lonely ..That's just sad .." she looked down .

"I didn't have a choice back then.." I replied . But now , I have . I'm not alone anymore .

Still holding on to her , I looked at her . She looked up at me and our eyes met .

"I can't go back to being alone anymore … I don't know how anymore . After I met you , I just don't know how to go back to being alone .You .. turned my life upside down .. Whenever i'm feeling down or sad , you're the one that cheered me up . You were there for me when I was in my darkest time . You were the one that held my hands tightly in yours when I was feeling lonely . You were the one that held me tightly in your arms when I was about to cry . You...were the one that made a difference in my life .." You taught me how to trust and love again . The feelings that I thought I'd lost , came back . Feelings of trust , friendship and love . Slowly, I shifted my hands to where her hands were .

"R-Ryoma ?" She blushed as pulled her hands away but I grabbed on to it .The palms of our hands met . I pressed my palm against hers and then I felt a warm sensation . Her face grew bright red and I could hear her heartbeat . "E-erm.. Ryoma .. let me go ..."

"No..Don't go away .. I'll be too lonely if you went away ..All this time ,you gave me warmth and happiness . You reminded me of things that I had already forgotten . Your smile , your touch , your voice were the things that supported me when I faced my past trauma . I was able to get back up on my feet because you were there ." I lifted one hand up towards her face and stroked her cheek . "Your very existence is the very reason that I was able to stand back up . Chiyo , meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me . Because Chiyo , you lit up my life . You changed my life . So , don't go . Stay with me .."

I looked at her with gentle eyes . She was staring at me , looking all dazed and her face was flushed red . I could felt my heart beating fast . What's this . Such amazing heartbeat . I could feel my face getting hot . I never felt something like this before . Not even with Ryuzaki .This is a whole different feeling . Why am I feeling so nervous ? Just then , Chiyo took in a deep breath .

"Ryoma ..I..." She choked on her words and she blushed . She closed her eyes and looked away from me . "I ..i think there's something wrong with me .."

"Huh ?" Did she not understand what i'm saying ?

"Recently...I ...i keep thinking about you .. But when I do , I keep having these weird heartbeats and I can't stop myself from being flustered ! When you're not around me , I feel so lonely ! When you're near me , I feel happy and a sense of security ! When you're hurt , I kept thinking what I'll do if you're gone ! The thought of you getting hurt and disappearing scares me ! When you touch me , my heart beats faster and my face just feel hot ! I just can't act normal whenever i'm around you ! My voice gets all weird and abnormal . I can't think straight when it comes to you ! I do weird things when i'm with you ! I..I can't stop myself from thinking about you ! I...I've been thinking about it for a while now and I've finally figured it out what's wrong .."

I smiled to myself . Geez , she scared the hell out of me . And I thought she didn't understood me . She turned towards me and opened her eyes . Her face was redder then ever .

"Ryoma ! I... I ..."

Before she could say anything else , I placed one of my hands on her cheek and i leaned forward towards her face . And then , there was silence in the room . The silence was so deafening yet peaceful . I could hear the birds chipping outside and the sounds of their wings flapping as they flew off . But on top of all , I felt the heat of Chiyo's lips against mine . Her lips were soft and warm . I felt a weird sensation . I pulled away from her slightly and pressed my forehead against hers . Her face was red and she was looking all spaced out .

"I know . Because I feel the same . I love you Chiyo .." I looked into her eyes . Her face was flushed red and slowly , she closed her eyes .

"Ryoma , I... I love you too.." She blushed. I smiled as i pressed my lips against hers . My other hand held her hands and our palms pressed against each other . A sweet heat crept on to my hands as I held hers . This feels .. nice . I just wish time would stop .

BANG ! The door slammed open all of a sudden which made Chiyo jump and pull away from me . Fuji-senpai strolled in .

"Sorry Echizen , I think I left my phone in here , mind if I take a look ?" He stopped . "Did I interrupt something ?" He turned towards Chiyo . She was standing near the wall about a few steps away from me and her face was flushed red . "Chiyo-chan are you okay ? Your face is red !"

"I-i-i-it's N-n-n-nothing ! I-i-i'm going to w-wash the d-dishes !" She grabbed the empty bowl and ran out of the room , closing the door . Fuji-senpai stood there and stared at the door . He turned towards me with a confused look on his face .

"Erm , did I do something ?" he asked . Oh god ! Someone get me a knife ! I'm going to kill this sadist right here , right now !

"Fuji-senpai . Ever heard of knocking ?!" I shouted and I shot a glare at him .

"What ? Hmmm... So I did interrupt you two ." He started smiling with his sadistic smile . I blushed and he smiled even more . "Hmm , I'm curious . The two of you are alone in a room with a bed . Chiyo-chan's face was so red when I came in . Just what were the two of you doing huh ?"

"You know what fuji-senpai ? Go to hell !" I cursed .

Chiyo

I can't believe what just happened ! I.. I kissed Ryoma . Ryoma Kissed me . That was my first kiss ! The sensation of his lips , I could still feel it . And when his hands held mine , I felt a weird sensation . His hands was so big and warm . My face is so hot . I can't stop thinking about it ! I walked to the kitchen and started washing up . I.. I'm in love with Ryoma . I only realized it recently . But I never thought that he felt the same . I was just so happy when he told me his feelings .

"Oh ! Chiyo . You're washing the dishes ?" Oishi-senpai walked in .

"Yeah ." I replied .

"I'll help out !" Oishi-senpai walked in and started helping me out with the dishes .

"Thank you Oishi-senpai . So how's practice going ?" I asked . Phew , it seemed like I've calmed down a bit .

"Oh , its going just fine . Everyone's working hard . In fact they're practicing right now . "

"What about you Oishi-senpai ?"

"Oh me ? I'm just here to take care of everyone's health and safety ." He laughed .

"Hehe , Oishi-senpai , you're like a mom ." I giggled .

"I get that a lot . Speaking of which , how's Echizen doing ?"

Ba-thump ! My heart skipped a beat when he mentioned Ryoma's name .

"W-well .. he's f-fine .." My voice started to shiver . Not again ! I'm acting weird again !

"Chiyo ?"

I took a deep breath . Chiyo , relax !

"He's fine . He just took his medication and now he's resting in his room ."

"I see . That's great news .So , are you going back to stay with him ?"

"N-No ! I mean , I don't want to disturb him !" What am I saying !? I can't face him ! It's too awkward !

"In that case , want to come watch the team practice ?" He asked . What ? Watch practice ?

"Can I ?"

"Sure ! You can see what we do during practice . Plus the air is great outside . I'm heading there now . Want to come with me ?"

"Okay . Thanks , Oishi-senpai ." I took up his offer . Having some fresh air might be good for me . Plus , I need to calm down . I need to sort things out . And I've never seen a tennis practice before ! I walked beside Oishi-senpai and headed out to the tennis courts located just outside the inn . It seemed like everyone is busy with practice . Oishi-senpai and I sat down on a bench that was nearby and watched them practice . It's so peaceful . The wind blew against my hair . I like this feeling . Its so calm and relaxing . I closed my eyes for a bit . Just then , I heard a whistle . Ryuzaki-sensei blew a whistle and everyone gathered around her .

"Alright , lets have a short break . You guys can do whatever you want . Just be back here in half an hour ."

"Yes !" they shouted together . Then , Kaidoh-senpai made his way towards us . Oishi-senpai stood up and handed him a towel .

"Great work out there Kaidoh ." Oishi-senpai said .

"Thanks , Oishi-senpai ." Kaidoh-senpai took the towel from Oishi-senpai and he wiped his sweat away . Kaidoh-senpai turned towards me .

"Hey Chiyo . You came to watch us practice ?" he asked .

"Yeah." I smiled at him . "You were really cool out there ! I'm kinda envious though . I can't play tennis like that at all ."

"Chiyo , you play tennis ?" The both of them asked . They looked surprised .

"Well.. I guess so . But I can't play it that well . In fact , i'm really bad at it . Hehe.." I can't even hit the ball correctly ! It always fly off to another direction .

"Oh , I see . And I thought we could have a little match . Just for fun though ." Oishi-senpai said .

"Sorry . . I'm really bad at it ." I laughed in embarrassment .

"We could teach you if you like ." Kaidoh-senpai told me . Eh ?! T-teach me ?! I can't trouble them so much !

"It's fine kaidoh-senpai ! You don't have to ! I can't trouble you guys !" I shouted . And besides , they still have to prepare for the upcoming tournament . They should use their free time to rest .

"It's no trouble at all . I don't mind teaching .It'll also help me study up on the basics of tennis ."

"But.."

"Don't worry about it . And besides , don't you want to play tennis with Echizen ?"

"That's right Chiyo ! If you can play tennis , i'm sure you'll be able to play with Echizen one day ! All of us can play tennis together !" Oishi-senpai beamed at me . Play tennis with Ryoma ? I blushed . I .. I want to play with Ryoma , tennis that is . Rather then watching Ryoma play tennis , I want to play alongside him . Oishi-senpai waved his hands over my face .

"Chiyo ? You okay ? Your face is red . Don't tell me you caught Echizen's Cold ?! Oh no ! What do we do ?!"

"I-i'm fine Oishi-senpai ! Calm down !" Geez , Oishi-senpai really gets worried too easily .

"So how about it Chiyo ? Why don't you let us teach you ? Tennis that is ." Kaidoh-senpai asked me . It's fine right ? Wanting to learn tennis . Wanting to play tennis with Ryoma , Oishi-senpai and Kaidoh-senpai . I won't be bothering them at all right ?

"Chiyo ?" Kaidoh-senpai called out to me .

"I want to learn ." I said , looking down to the ground .

"Huh ?"

"I want to learn how to play tennis ! I want to play tennis with you , Oishi-senpai and Ryoma ! Is it okay with you if you teach me how ?" I looked up and asked Kaidoh-senpai . I stared at the both of them with my eyes wide open in anticipation. The both of them looked at me and then , they started laughing to themselves . Eh ? Did I say something funny ?

"What are you saying Chiyo . Of course we'll teach you ." Kaidoh-senpai replied .

"That's right Chiyo ." Oishi-senpai continued laughing .

"Then .. why are you laughing ?"

"Its because your reaction was just so funny !" Oishi-senpai just can't stop laughing . Was my reaction ..weird ? My face turned red . Ah , i'm turning weird again ! It's because Ryoma is involved ! Oishi-senpai stopped laughing .

"How about we teach you after practice ?" Kaidoh-senpai asked .

"Eh ? Won't you be tired ? You need to rest ! What happens if you got sick ?!"

Oishi-senpai came over and placed his hands on my shoulder .

"Don't worry about him . He always stays back after tennis practice to practice on his own . So he'll be fine ."

"Eh really ? Then .. okay ." I nodded .

"Speaking of which , how's Echizen doing ?" Kaidoh-senpai asked me .

"He's resting in his room . He's fine ."

Just then , a whistle blew and Ryuzaki-sensei called out for everyone to gather . Kaidoh-senpai handed the towel back to Oishi-senpai and headed towards the tennis courts .

"I'll see you guys later ." He waved and he started running towards the courts . I sat back down on the bench with Oishi-senpai . Everyone then ran off from the courts and out of the area . Heh ? Where are they going ?

"Oishi-senpai ? Where are they running to ?" I asked .

"Oh ! They're running up the mountain . Its part of the special training."

"Oh ! I get it ! To train their stamina !"

"Your smart Chiyo ."

"Not really .." Wah . Ryoma must have worked so hard . His tennis is so good . I bet he's done tones of training . Just then Ryuzaki-sensei walked over to the both of us . We looked up at her .

"Chiyo , Oishi . Can I ask a favor from the two of you ?"

"What is it Ryuzaki-sensei ?"

"Can the both of you prepare dinner tonight ?"

Huh ? Prepare dinner ? Us ? Why ? The both of us looked at her with eyes wide open .

"But , Ryuzaki-sensei , isn't Sakuno and Tomoka in charged of the kitchen ?" Oishi-senpai asked .

"Hmm , they are but . I've just sent them out to the mountains to help out in the special training . So they might be exhausted by the end of today . Is it alright with you if you helped out with dinner tonight ?"

"But sensei .. cooking .. I can't really-"

"I'll do it !" I jumped up in front of her . "I'll help out with dinner !" I smiled .

"Chiyo , is it really alright ? I mean , you have to take care of Echizen ." Oishi-senpai asked while looking worriedly at me .

"It's fine , Oishi-senpai . I kinda like to cook . Hehe ."

"B-but I suck at it !" he shouted looking all flustered .

"Don't worry ! Just leave it to me ! I'll teach you what to do !" I turned towards Ryuzaki-sensei . "Please let me help out !" She smiled at me and patted my shoulder .

"Alright , I'll leave it to you then ."

I looked at Oishi-senpai .

"Oishi-senpai , is there a supermarket nearby ?"

"Eh .. Yes there is . Its just down the street . Why ?"

I smiled at him and grabbed his wrist . He stared confusedly at me .

"Come on ! If we're making dinner , we need the ingredients ! Time for some groceries shopping !" I

"Hold on a second Chiyo !" Ryuzaki-sensei came over and handed me an envelop . "Here's some cash for the ingredients . Now off you go !" She smiled at us .

"Thank you Ryuzaki-sensei ! Lets go Oishi-senpai !"

"Wait wait ! Let me send a text to Kaidoh first . We need to tell him in case he starts wondering where we went ."

Meanwhile , back at Ryoma's room ..

Fuji stood there and smiled at ryoma .

"Why are you still here ? Haven't you got your phone already ." Ryoma glared at Fuji .

"Alright Alright . I'll leave . Be sure to get some rest . I'll come back to see you after practice ." Fuji said and he walked out of the room , smiling . Just as he closed the door , his smile faded to an angry expression .

"So that's what really happened . I was just on my way to retrieve my phone but , I never expected to hear that . I overheard Echizen telling Chiyo about what really happened , even though I wasn't suppose to hear them . Momo , you scumbag . You tricked all of us into believing you ." Fuji thought to himself . He started walking away looking extremely pissed .

"Even though I know the truth now , i'm not going to expose him . I want to see how far he can get with his lies . For now , I'll just sit at the sidelines and watch ."

**Oh god ! Finally ! I am done done done ! Seriously , this chapter was the hardest to write ! I had loads of writers block and head jams thinking about what to write in this chapter . Okay . So the truth is out ! Chiyo Knows what really happened . And …. they KISSED ! They confessed and they KISSED ! OMG ! XD I hoped I wrote it okay ! And also , Fuji knows ! He overheard their conversation and he heard ! But he's going to watch and see what's going to happen . Also , Chiyo and Oishi ? Cooking dinner ? What;s going to happen in the next chapter ? And what about Ryoma and Chiyo ? They Kissed but what next ?! Read to find out :P Thanks for all the support ! I love my readers ! Really love you guys TTM ! Hearts :D**

**Disclaimer : I do not Own POT :D**


	25. Chapter 25 : Will you?

Fuji walked out of the inn and walked towards Ryuzaki-sensei . Ryuzaki-sensei spotted him and she made her way towards him .

"There you are Fuji ! Where did you go ? The special training has already started ." She asked . Fuji stood there and he smiled at her .

"I'm sorry Ryuzaki-sensei . I went to retrieve my phone . I'll try to catch up to the others ." Fuji said and he ran out of the area and up the mountain path . As he was running , the words that Ryoma said still lingers in his mind . He felt frustrated and angry that he was made a fool of by Momoshiro . Not long after , Fuji caught up with the others . They were resting under a tree . Fuji walked up to them .

"Fuji , there you are . Where were you ?" Inui asked while taking a sip of water . Or rather , taking a sip of his_ 'special juice' ._

"I left my phone at Echizen's room so I went to retrieve it ." Fuji smiled .

"I see . You're late though . Anyways , how's Echizen doing ?" Tezuka walked over and folded his arms . He stared at Fuji with a stern look . Even though he looks like he doesn't care much , Tezuka is actually quite worried about Ryoma's condition .

"He's fine Tezuka ." Fuji smiled and looked down on the floor . "He even told Chiyo his feelings and _that _." He said softly to himself .

"Fuji , did you say something ?" Inui asked .

"Nothing . Come on , lets get back to training ." Fuji looked up and gave the both of them a gentle smile . He then walked away , leaving Tezuka and Inui looking confused . Tezuka sighed and walked away . Inui however , stood there and was deep in thought . He was certain that Fuji had said something . After standing there for sometime , he decided not to think about it . He caught up with Tezuka and Fuji and the entire team carried on with the special training after the short water break . While , running up the slope of the mountain path , Momoshiro , Kikumaru and Kawamura were running behind Fuji , Tezuka , Inui and Kaidoh .

"Hey , haven't you noticed that the four of them seems to be hanging out together quite a lot lately ?" Kikumaru whispered to Momoshiro and Kawamura .

"You too ? I've been thinking the same thing ! They seemed to be quite concern about Echizen as well . Well , I don't care about Kaidoh but , Tezuka , Fuji and Inui are acting really weird recently !" Kawamura nodded in agreement .  
"That's right ! When Echizen fainted that day , they were so worried about him ! Why are they worried about Echizen ?! Right , Momo ?" Kikumaru turned towards Momoshiro . Momoshiro was in daze when Kikumaru looked at him . He was deep in thought .  
"Momo ?" He waved his hands over Momoshiro's face which brought him back from his thoughts .

"Ah , sorry . I was thinking about something ."

"Geez Momo . And i was telling you something important . So , what do you think ? Don't you find it weird that Tezuka , Inui and Fuji are worried about Echizen ?"

"Well , maybe their just pretending to be nice ." Momoshiro smiled . Kikumaru basically dropped his jaw wide open and Kawamura sweat dropped .

"Pretending to be nice ?! Okay , maybe Fuji but .. there's no way Tezuka and Inui would do that !" Kikumaru shouted . He then covered his mouth when he realized that he shouted way too loud . Fuji took a glance over his shoulders . He knew that Kikumaru shouted something but he pretended not to notice . Kikumaru then let out a sigh of relief .

"We'll talk about this later . Lets carry on with training ." He continued running and ran towards the others . Kawamura also ran ahead of Momoshiro , leaving him behind . Momoshiro ran behind them , this time , his face was filled with confusion and anger .

"What's going on ? Why are they so worried about you ? Why do they care so much about you ?! And why is Chiyo- What's she to you ?! Echizen Ryoma .. !" Momoshiro said softly to himself . His face went entirely black . He was angry , he was annoyed and on top of all , he was jealous of Ryoma . As Momoshiro was in his own thoughts , Fuji turned his head over his shoulders and looked at Momoshiro . Even though , Momoshiro didn't say his feelings out loud , having an excellent sense of hearing , Fuji heard everything .

"Momo .. so that's how you feel about Echizen ." Fuji clenched his fist hard . " And to think I trusted you all these years , I'm such an idiot ..But why are you so concerned about Chiyo and Ryoma ? Don't you already have Sakuno ? So why ? I just don't get it !" He thought to himself as he continued running . They continued with their special training until the evening . After their training , they headed down the mountain back to the inn . While walking down back to the inn , Kikumaru asked about dinner .

"I'm starving ! I wonder what's for dinner ! Sakuno-chan , what are you guys making for dinner ?" Kikumaru asked while looking at Sakuno . Sakuno looked confusedly at him .

"Erm , Kikumaru-senpai . Actually .. i'm-"

"No matter , I bet what you cook will be delicious ! Surprise us !" He beamed at her and skipped happily away with the others , leaving her standing there alone with Tomoka . The both of them looked at each other .

"Don't they know that we're not preparing dinner tonight ?" Tomoka asked Sakuno .

"I guess Oba-chan didn't tell them ." Sakuno replied and looked at the sky . "I wonder who's preparing dinner tonight ."

After standing there for a while , the both of them headed back inside the inn and went to take a shower .

Meanwhile , Chiyo and Oishi were preparing dinner in the kitchen . Well , things .. aren't going so smoothly though .

"Oishi-senpai ! You're not suppose to pour the whole bottle of salt in !" Chiyo shouted as Oishi was about to pour the whole bottle of salt into the pot of soup . Oishi jumped and stopped just in time . Next , Oishi was going to chop the carrots .

"This time , I'll do it right !" He raised the knife high up in the air and prepared to land a blow on the carrot that was in front of him . " AHH !" he shouted .

"Oishi-senpai ! That's not how you're suppose to cut the carrots ! That's dangerous !" Chiyo shouted as she grabbed hold of Oishi's arms just before the knife landed on the carrot . Next , Oishi was about to wash the rice .

"This .. this time ! I'll definitely do it right ! AHHHH !" He placed his hands in the pot of rice and swirl his hands around in a circular motion .

"Oishi-senpai ! Do it slowly ! The rice are flying everywhere !" Chiyo shouted as her sweat dropped .

About five minutes later , Oishi was squatting down at one corner of the room , moping . Chiyo walked over to him and bent down beside Oishi .

"Oishi-senpai , there's no need to be so depressed about it ." She smiled and comforted him .

"But , even though I was supposed to help out with dinner , I made things worse and eventually , you had to do everything . I'm sorry ..." Oishi apologized and looked like he was about to cry .

"It's nothing to be sorry about ! Really ! You don't have to apologize ! You did help me out with shopping ." Chiyo tried to cheer Oishi up . Oishi looked up at her with teary eyes .

"R-really ?" He asked .

"Yeah ! You also helped out with washing the vegetables and setting up the cutlery .Oishi-senpai , you really did help out ! If it weren't for you , dinner might not have been ready by now ! " Chiyo smiled . Oishi smiled and he stood up from where he was .

"Thank you Chiyo . I'll go and call the others for dinner . Why don't you bring the dishes out ?" Oishi asked . Chiyo smiled and nodded . Oishi then walked out of the kitchen into the dining room . Chiyo on the other hand , brought the plates of dishes out and prepared for dinner .

Back at Ryoma …

Lying down on the bed , I placed my hands on my forehead . That idiot . Why didn't she come back ? It's boring in this room alone . Geh ! What am I thinking ! Well , I guessed she was shocked out of her mind . With me confessing to her and kissing her out of the blue ... But our feelings were mutual , so why ? Then again , I guessed it must be a first time for her . So I guess she must be embarrassed . Sigh .. And that Fuji-senpai ! Why did he have to barge in at the wrong timing ?! I swear I'm going to kill him ! Just then , I smelled something nice . This aroma , is it dinner time already ? I got out of my bed and went out of my room .As I walked along the hallway , I could smell the aroma of the food . This somehow smells familiar . This smells like ...her cooking . No , this is definitely her cooking ! I know this aroma ! I walked towards the direction of the dining room and as I came to the end of the hallway , everyone was sitting down and chomping down the food .

"This is amazingly good !"

"Not bad ."

"Mmmhnn ! Its delicious ! Sakuno-chan , you're amazing ! When did your cooking get this good ? Its totally different from yesterdays !" Kikumaru-senpai asked while he chomped down the food .

Of course it's different ! She didn't make dinner .. I know for sure because , this smells exactly like the fried rice she made for me before .

"Eh ? I-" Ryuzaki was about to say something when she was interrupted by Momoshiro-senpai .

"What are you saying Kikumaru-senpai ? Of course its delicious . As expected of my girl ." Momoshiro-senpai wrapped his hands around Ryuzaki's neck and pulled her close to him . I rolled my eyes .This is sickening .

"Erm guys , actually-"  
"There's no way she could have made those food ." I said out loud which surprised everyone . Everyone turned around and looked at me . I walked down the stairs .

"Echizen ! Are you sure you should be out of bed ?!" Oishi-senpai and Kaidoh-senpai rushed towards me .

"Echizen Ryoma ! What are you talking about ?!" Horio shouted at me . Sigh .

"I'm fine senpai ." I then turned towards Horio . " Like I said , there's no way she could have made those food . She just don't have the talent for cooking .."

"What was that ?! How dare you say that about Sakuno-chan ?!" Kikumaru-senpai jumped up from his sit and glared at me .  
"You're just jealous that Momo-senpai has such a great girlfriend !" Horio smirked at me . Me ? Jealous of him ? Not in a million years .

"You have got be joking . Why would I be jealous of _him_ ? Great girlfriend ? Heh . I don't see how great she is . Don't make me vomit ! " I scoffed at him . His face looked angry and I could see that Momoshiro-senpai looking extremely pissed . He stood up and made his way towards me . He stood in front of me and placed his hands on his hips with a smirk on his face . Now that really pisses me off !

"Echizen , I really wish you would stop saying things that are not true about Sakuno . The food is really good . If you don't believe me-"

"I believe you alright . Because I've already tasted this cooking before and I can tell you , its damn delicious . Just that , she's not the one that prepared the food ." That's right , the person that made all these food , is her . Not Ryuzaki . Just then , Ryuzaki-sensei walked right into the room .

"Oh ? Looks like dinner is served . Great work Oishi ." She patted Oishi-senpai's shoulder . Everyone opened their eyes wide and dropped their jaws wide open .

"OISHI MADE DINNER ?! NO WAY ! WHEN DID YOUR COOKING GET THIS GOOD ?!" Everyone shouted in unison . My sweat dropped . Sigh . Oishi-senpai started to panic and he started getting all flustered .

"Whoa whoa ! Wait ! I didn't make dinner ! I only helped out with washing the vegetables and shopping ! Actually , the person who made dinner was-"

"Chiyo was the one that made dinner ." I cut right into his sentence before he could finish it . Eyes were all on me . The room was completely silent . And then ..

"How do you know Chiyo made dinner ?! And how dare you call Chiyo by her first name ?!" Horio shouted at me and shot me a glare .

"And what makes you think you have the right to call her by her first name ? She's not yours , so stop acting like she belongs to you ." I shot him a glare . Chiyo here , Chiyo there . I'm getting irritated with him ! The both of us where throwing glares at each other , although I could tell that his face was getting pale . Just then , Fuji-senpai came in between of our glaring contest .

"Mah , why don't the both of you calm down ?" He said .

"Fuji is right Ryoma . You're still unwell so why don't you take a break ?" Ryuzaki-sensei agreed with Fuji-senpai . I took a deep breathe and gave out a sigh .

"Whatever ... I just wanted to point out the fact that Chiyo was the one that made dinner and not Ryuzaki . That's all ." I turned around and walked away towards Kaidoh-senpai . Kaidoh-senpai and Oishi-senpai came over .

"Echizen ! Are you sure you're supposed to be out of bed ?!" Oishi-senpai asked while in his mother hen mode . Geez . I already told him that I'm fine . He never change .

"Senpai , I already said I'm fine ..." I replied .

"But.."

"He's fine Oishi-senpai . He was able to stand up to Horio and the others ." Kaidoh-senpai placed one of his hands on Oishi-senpai's shoulder . Oishi-senpai looked up at him and smiled . He then nodded .

"You maybe right Kaidoh ."

Kaidoh-senpai looked up and looked around the dining room , as though he was searching for something or someone .

"By the way Oishi-senpai . Where's Chiyo ? I want to thank her for cooking dinner ." He asked while looking around the room .

"Eh ? She was around here just now ." Oishi-senpai started looking around as well . I looked around the room too . I want to see her . Just then , I saw someone sitting down at the dining table located at one corner of the dining room .

"There she is .." I pointed to the direction of where she was . We made our way towards her . She was lying her head on the table and her eyes were closed . She's sleeping ? She must be tired . I sat down beside her and looked at her seeping face . Seeing her sleeping face , I can't help but smile .

"She was sleeping here all this while even though we were so noisy just now ? She must be exhausted , taking care of Echizen the entire night and preparing dinner for all of us . " Oishi-senpai said , trying to keep his voice down as he sat down as well along with Kaidoh-senpai .

"Yeah .." I replied in a low tone . She's definitely exhausted . She's always does her best in everything . Even to the extent of coming down here to take care of me . I laughed to myself . Idiot . I reached my hands out towards her face . Just as my fingers brushed across her face , she opened her eyes and jumped up all of a sudden .

"Wah ?! Since when did I fall asleep ?!" She shouted . The chair behind her clattered . "WAH ?!" She turned around and tried to grab hold of the chair but her hands slipped and the chair fell on the floor , making a loud sound . Everyone's attention turned towards us . Pfft ! I tried my best to hold my laughter in .

"Ahhh .. ehhh .. I..." she tried to speak as her face grew red .

I..I can't take it anymore ! Her reaction is just too funny ! And then , I burst out laughing . I covered my mouth with my hands and laughed . Everyone stared at me and eventually , she turned around to look at me . Chiyo held her hands closed to her chest and blushed .

"G-geez .. what are you laughing about ?" She asked with her flustered and blushing face .

"You ?" I replied still laughing to myself .

"I-its not that funny .."

Just then , I choked on my own saliva and started coughing .

"Ryoma !?" She ran over to me and placed her hands on my shoulder . "Ryoma ,are you okay ?! Are you still feeling sick ?!" She asked looking worriedly at me . I stopped coughing and looked up at her . Our faces were just a few inches away from each other . Her face got red . She jumped up and took a step back . Heh , she's so cute . I smiled at her .

"W-what ?"

"Nothing . Your reaction was just so cute . That's all ."

After saying that , her face got even redder and there were whispers around the room . Oishi-senpai and Kaidoh-senpai were staring at the both of us with their mouth wide open .

"W-what are you saying ? Idiot .. H-how are you feeling ?" She asked .

"I'm fine . Just ..."

"Just ?"

"I'm hungry .." My stomach growled . "There's no food left so ... Make me dinner ." I gave her a gentle smile .

"W-what am I ?! Your wife ?!"

"No , but ..." I stood up and walked towards her and stood in front of her . I looked down at her blushing face and looked into her eyes . "There's something I want to tell you .."

I could feel eyes on us . I took a deep breath . I'm going to say it right here , right now . Even though everyone is watching , I don't care . I want her to know . I have to make it clear to her . She's probably too dense to know what's going on after that kiss . Sigh . Here goes nothing .

"Chiyo … I love you . Will you... go out with me ?"

She looked at me with her eyes wide open . She blushed even harder .

"EHH ?! What is he asking Chiyo ?!"

"How dare he ask Chiyo something like that after he betrayed Sakuno !"

"Come on , Chiyo will probably reject him . I mean , all the guys that confessed to her got rejected !"

Everyone was shouting here and there . The loudest was probably Horio but I didn't care . I just looked at Chiyo .

"Will you guys shut up ?! There's still no reply yet ! " Tezuka-senpai shouted and the whole room just went quiet , waiting for Chiyo to respond .There was silence for a moment . Chiyo held her hands near her chest and she looked down to the floor .

"I...I.. I feel the same about you , Ryoma ." She looked up to me and smiled . "I...I'm really happy you asked me that . Yes ... I'll go out with you ." She closed her eyes and nodded .

"EHHH ?!" Everyone shouted . I smiled . In my heart , I felt a sense of happiness injected into me . I'm happy . She opened her eyes and looked into mine . I'll protect her . This time , I won't let anyone steal the most important person away from me again . I squatted down on the floor . Argh .

"R-ryoma ?! What's wrong ?" Chiyo came over and squatted down beside me . *Growl* .. My stomach growled . "Eh ?"

"I'm hungry … I'm so hungry that I think I might die if I don't eat anything right now .."

"AH ?! I forgot about that ! I'll make you dinner so just wait a while !" She stood up but just right before she was about to head to the kitchen , I grabbed on to her hands .

"I'll help you .." I smiled and got up on my feet .

"Eh b-but ..."

"I'm fine . Don't forget , I can cook . I'm not Oishi-senpai ."

"Echizen !" Oishi-senpai shouted with his embarrassed face .

"And besides , cooking beside you , I want to try that ." With that , I pulled her into the kitchen , leaving everyone dumbfounded in the dining room . This time .. I'll never feel alone again ..because I have her by my side .. I turned around and smiled at her . She smiled at me as we headed into the kitchen .

Back at the dining room ..

Everyone stood there , dumbfounded . They couldn't believe that Chiyo and Ryoma are going out with each other . Tomoka , Kikumaru , Kawamura , katsuo , Katchiro and horio stoned down there with their mouth wide open in disbelief .

"C-chiyo .. why ?" Horio said and he looked like he was about to cry .

"I can't believe this .. right Sakuno ?" Tomoka asked her best friend . Sakuno said nothing . Instead she just stood there and stared .

"Nya ! Why would someone go out with Echizen ?!" Kikumaru shouted . Fuji , Tezuka and Inui stood at one corner and smiled .

"I'm kinda happy for Echizen .. despite all that happened ." Fuji said .

"What are you saying Fuji . You and I both know that what happened during the past two years were all lies." Tezuka replied .

"Tezuka .. when did you..notice ?"

"During the festival .."

"And you didn't tell me ? Geez , you're as mean as always ."

"What was that Fuji ? Do you want me to make you run 20 laps right now ?" Tezuka shot a deadly glare at him .

"Calm down Tezuka . At least we all know the truth now ."

On another side of the room , Momoshiro was sitting down on a chair and his face was entirely black . Fuji noticed this and he approached Momoshiro from behind . Momoshiro clenched his fist hard and he slammed it hard on the table .

"Echizen Ryoma ..." He said to himself . Just then , Fuji appeared in front of him . He regained his composure and gave Fuji a smile .

"Yo Fuji-senpai ! What's up ?"

Fuji gave him a serious look which startled Momoshiro .

"Momo , we need to talk .."

**Hey guys ! I know its has been like a month or two since I last updated ! SO SO SORRY FOR MAKING YOU ALL WAIT ! I know how it feels to be like waiting for something to come out so yeah I know your feelings ! So here it is ! Chapter .. 25 ? I dont know haha ! Okay ! Oh ! Ryoma finally asked her out ! And she said yes ! YES ! Everyone was like shocked and Horio and Momo were jealous ! Sucks to be them But i'm happy for Ryoma ! Even Fuji , tezuka and Inui are happy . Since the finally knew what's going on ! Fuji , out of the three knew what really happened ! Yes ! And next chapter , Fuji's going to talk with Momo ! Whats going to happen ? Sorry for leaving it hanging again ! I promise to update ASAP kay ? Thanks for all the awesome support ! I love you guys so much ! Hearts ! **

**Disclaimer : I do not own POT ;D **


	26. Chapter 26 : Lies

Fuji walked out of the cottage and out towards the mountain area. Momoshiro was following Fuji from behind , walking very slowly . Fuji on the other hand , was smiling . Well , even though he was smiling , a part of him was angry and pissed with Momoshiro .

"Neh ..Fuji-senpai .. Where are we going ? I thought you wanted to talk to me about something ?" Momoshiro asked while smiling and acting completely innocent . Fuji saw that and it irritated him even more . Fuji turned around and gave him a big Fuji-like smile . However , this wasn't the usual smile that Fuji always give .

"F..Fuji-senpai ?" Momoshiro sweat dropped . His face became pale and his eyes were wide open . Even though Fuji was smiling at him , there was a dark aura coming out from Fuji himself . Yes , Fuji was angry . Not only that , he was extremely pissed off at Momoshiro .

"Momo , why don't we go for a walk ?" Fuji said . He then turned around and continued walking towards the mountain area. Momoshiro stared at Fuji . He was wondering what Fuji was trying to do and on top of all , he was wondering what Fuji had wanted to talk to him about . Momoshiro said nothing . Instead , he followed Fuji . While they were walking along the mountain path , no one said a thing . Momoshiro looked at Fuji worriedly .

"Just what is going on with Fuji-senpai ? He looked so scary just now .And that aura Fuji-senpai have …" Momoshiro thought to himself . Just then , Fuji came to a stop . The dark aura that was emitting from Fuji subsided . Fuji then turned around and smiled at Momoshiro . This time , Momoshiro couldn't sense any dark aura coming from Fuji . This confused him .

"So Momo , how are things going with you and Ryuzaki ?" Fuji asked in a calming tone . Momoshiro stared at Fuji in shock . This was the usual Fuji that he knew . He felt relieved for a moment .

"Ah , so is this what you wanted to talk to me about ? You scared me back there Fuji-senpai ! And I thought I did something wrong . You sounded so serious ." Momoshiro placed his hands behind his head and started laughing to himself .

"You did . And it's serious alright ." Fuji's tone of voice changed again . Momoshiro stopped laughing .

"E-eh ?"

"I mean come on ! This is about you and Ryuzaki-san ! Of course it's serious !" Fuji's voice changed back to normal again . "So you haven't answered my question Momo . How are things going on with you and Ryuzaki-san ?"

"Oh , I see . We're doing fine ! Everything between us is great ! But Fuji-senpai , why do you wanna know ?" Momoshiro asked .

"Oh it's nothing . I'm just curious you know . I'm envious of you . Ah ~ how I wish I got a girlfriend too ." Fuji smiled while looking at Momoshiro . Momoshiro started laughing .

"Fuji-senpai , I'm sure you can get a girl easily ! Look at how many fans you have . If you seriously look for one , I'm sure you'll find one soon ! I have faith in you Fuji-senpai ." Momoshiro patted Fuji on the should . Fuji opened his eyes slightly and took a glance at Momoshiro .

"Neh.. Momo , tell me about the time when you wooed Ryuzaki again . I could use it as a reference you know ? How did you get her ?" Fuji asked with his eyes opened . Momoshiro started to get flustered .

"Well , I'm sure you knew that we got together after Echizen cheated on her right ? Well , she was sad and all when she found out the truth . Echizen is such a bastard . She was on the verge of falling apart and I was there for her . During those times , I comforted her and made her laugh . I stayed by her side . And through it , I fell in love with her and when she told me she loved me , we got together you know . I didn't actually wooed her . We just went with the flow ." Momoshiro smiled and he started to get all flustered . Fuji was staring at Momoshiro . He knew for a fact that Momoshiro was lying . Fuji walked towards a tree and he leaned against it .

"So Momo , you're saying that after Echizen broke up with Ryuzaki , you stayed by her side and that's when it all happened ?"

"Yeah !" Momoshiro said while blushing .

"She must love you a lot .."

"She does ! On occasions , she would even cook for me !"

"I'm so jealous of you Momo." Fuji smiled . Momoshiro started to get all flustered . He was getting into the conversation and his guard was completely down . He thought that Fuji was really trying to get advice about love from him but little did he know , he was falling deeper and deeper into Fuji's trap .

"There's nothing to be jealous of ! You'll find someone that you love one day ! I'm sure of it !" Momoshiro laughed with his flustered face .

"I see .. So how long have you been in love with Ryuzaki ?"

"I've been in love with her ever since she helped me with my injury ! Remember the time when I had a huge cut on my right leg ? The one that left a scar ? She was the one that helped me with the bandaging and the icing . I've been in love with her ever since then !" Momoshiro smiled happily . That's when it hit Fuji .

"I see . So you fell for her when Echizen left her right ?" Fuji made his way towards Momoshiro .

"That's right !"

And then , Fuji's aura became dark . Momoshiro stopped laughing and looked up at Fuji . Fuji opened his eyes and glared at Momoshiro .

"You fell for her when you injured your leg and she helped you with the bandaging . That's so sweet … But Momo , that was during the time when we were training for the nationals . And Echizen wasn't even together with her yet. So how is it possible for you to fall in love with her after he left her when they weren't even together yet ?" Fuji stopped in front of Momoshiro and shot him a deadly look .

Momoshiro eyes were wide open and in shock .

"W-what are you saying Fuji-senpai ? I…I mean…"

Fuji smiled at him and he placed one of his hands on one side of Momoshiro's shoulder.

"I know Momo . You mixed everything up . I understand . You don't have to get so worked up ." Fuji moved forward towards the side of Momoshiro's shoulder until their shoulders were against each other and spoke in a low tone with his eyes opened while glaring at Momoshiro . "In fact , I know everything . And when I said everything , I mean everything ."

Fuji shifted away from Momoshiro .

"Momo , lets get back to the others . I'm sure they're starting to get worried . Lets go ." He told Momoshiro while giving him a smile in a sarcastic way .

Fuji walked away from Momoshiro . He was smiling to himself . He knew that he got Momoshiro and that Momoshiro was lying . On the other hand Momoshiro was standing there and staring at Fuji's back .

"Damn .. Damn it ! How the hell did Fuji-senpai know !? My plan was perfect ! HOW ?! I can't let the others find out ! If they found out that I was the one that stole Sakuno from Echizen and that we were in love with each other behind his back , what's going to become of me ?! No , She wasn't even his from the start ! She was only using him to get close to me ! She never even loved him ! Its not my fault ! Damn it ! Damn him ! Echizen Ryoma !" Momoshiro thought to himself as he punched the tree .

Back at the cottage…

The regulars were doing their own stuff . Some were preparing to take a bath while some were just chatting in the dining room . Ryoma on the other hand , was in the lounge together with Chiyo .Ryoma had just finished the meal that Chiyo had made for him and now, he's lying down on the sofa at the lounge with his one of his hands covering his eyes.

"Ah , that was a great meal ." Ryoma said in a low tone . Ryoma then moved his hands to the side a little and took a glance up at Chiyo who was sitting beside him. Chiyo was digging her bag for the flu medication for Ryoma .

"Hmm, where did I put that medicine?" She said to herself while frowning.

"Idiot, you left it at my room remember?" Ryoma said as he sat back up .

"AH ! You're right ! I totally forgot ! Wait right here okay ? I'm going to go-" Before Chiyo could finish her sentence , she was cut off by Ryoma .

As Chiyo was about to stand up from where she was , Ryoma wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled Chiyo close to him . Hugging her from behind , Ryoma rested his head on her shoulder and hugged her tightly around his arms . Chiyo's face went red instantly.

"Er..R-Ryoma ? I..I …I need to go get your medicine …" She blushed.

"It's fine… I don't need any medicine so long as you're by my side… That's all I need…" Ryoma hugged her even tighter.

"B-but ... you need to continue eating your medication in order to get better!"

"Like I said, I'm better already .So stop being such a grandma idiot ..." Ryoma teased.

"What was that?!" Chiyo shouted as she turned around to look at Ryoma.

"I'm saying, stop being such an old lady." Ryoma started to laugh.

"Why am I an old lady ?!"

"Because I say so .."

"HUH ?!" Chiyo shouted in confusion . "If I'm an old lady , then you're an old uncle !"

"If I'm an old uncle , doesn't that mean that I'm younger than you since you're the old lady . Baka~"

"HEH ?!" Chiyo shouted again and Ryoma started laughing due the expression that Chiyo has on her face . He just love seeing her like that .It always make him smile and laugh no matter what .

"By the way weirdo , aren't you tired ?" Ryoma asked as he pulled away from the hug .

"Heh ?" Chiyo replied while looking at Ryoma .

"I mean , you probably didn't get enough sleep right ? Taking care of me and cooking for everyone … Aren't you exhausted ?"

"I'm fine ! Really ! You don't have to worry about me !"

Then , Ryoma flicked Chiyo's forehead with his finger .

"Ow ! What was that for !" Chiyo placed both of her hands on her forehead .

"Idiot , you're tired . Admit it ."

"I'm not-"

"Geez , you're as stubborn as ever …Go and take a rest you idiot .. Or do you need me to carry you to bed by force and sleep with you ?"

"Wh-Wh-Who'd want to be carried by a beansprout ?! And why would I want to s-s-sleep with you ?! BAKA !" Chiyo shouted as her face grew bright red . After saying that line , she jumped up from the sofa and made her way towards one of the vacant room . Just before she entered the room , Ryoma called out to her .

"Hey weirdo …"

Chiyo turned around to look at Ryoma .

"Goodnight …Chiyo…" Ryoma said in a low tone and gave her a light smile . As soon as Ryoma called Chiyo by her first name , she started to blush again .

"Y-yeah … Goodnight.." Chiyo replied and she went straight into her room , blushing .

Back at Ryoma …

She's such an idiot . Just by hugging her and calling her by her first name already made her blush so much . How exactly are we going to take our relationship further ? Oh well , I guess she's never been in a relationship before but that's not the case . It doesn't matter how far we can go in the relationship . Being by her side is all I care about . I started smiling to myself . I've been smiling a lot recently , and its all thanks to her . I closed my eyes .Just then , a voice came from behind me which brought me back from my own thoughts .

"Echizen …"

I opened my eyes and saw that Fuji-senpai was standing there . I got up from my seat and stared at him . Ah god ! What does he want ? And just when I'm in a good mood ! I turned around and started to walk away. I walked out of the cottage and out into the tennis courts , hoping to get away from Fuji-senpai . Even though I didn't seem so hostile towards him , I'm still scared and hurt . Heh… I sound like a coward . Even though I said I would be fine , even though I have Kaidoh-senpai , Oishi-senpai and Chiyo by my side , I'm still scared of the past . So just leave me alone . I opened the gate to the tennis court and went inside .

"Echizen , can we talk ?" A voice called out to me again .

I turned around and saw Fuji-senpai behind me . Damn ! Has he been following me ?! He's starting to get on my nerves !

"What ?!" I shouted . Can he just stay away from me ?! Just because I was a little nice to him , doesn't mean I've forgotten about what he did to me ! No … What they did to me ! So just bloody stay away from me !

"Echizen , I just want things to be normal again ."

"There's no way things can be normal again and you know it !" I shouted at the top of my voice ..

"Echizen …"

There's no way things could be the way they were before . I can't just go pretending that nothing happened . I can't .. I clenched my fist hard . No matter how much I wish … No matter how much I want … things can never be the same . Damn it .. I'm losing it . I feel my heart breaking again .

"Just because I've started talking to you again, doesn't mean I've forgotten about everything .." I told him . Fuji-senpai kept quiet for a while and he stared at me . Then , he started making his way towards me . I took a step back . Fuji-senpai stopped as he saw me doing that .

"Echizen , I know what actually happened …"

"What ?" I glared at him .

"I overheard your conversation with Chiyo …"

I kept quiet for a while .. So he heard me . So he know .. but still ..

"…So what ? That was just my side of the story . It doesn't prove that I'm telling the truth . So what makes you think that I'm telling the truth ? Isn't that what you said to me two years ago ?" That's right .. Fuji-senpai told me that when I was trying to tell them the truth two years ago .Those words struck my heart where it was . You have no idea how painful that was.

"Echizen .. I know that you're telling the truth .. Because I found out that Momoshiro has been lying to me all this time . I know what's right and what's wrong , so please . I know what I said back then hurt you a lot , but , I really want you to believe me and trust me again ..I want things between us to return to the way they were …"

Trust you ?! Believe you ?!

"Why should I ?! You didn't believe me when I told you the truth ! You didn't trust me ! And yet , you want things to go back to how it was before ?! It will never happen ! How can I pretend that nothing ever happened and just go back to the way things were ?! So what if you know ?! So what if the truth is revealed ?! SO WHAT ?! It doesn't change anything ! It doesn't change the fact that I've been hurt ! It doesn't change the fact that everyone left me alone when I needed them the most ! It doesn't change the fact that I was treated like shit because of this ! It doesn't change anything !" Crap .. I .. I can't control myself .. All this hatred , anger and sadness inside me is overflowing out of me . I turned away from Fuji-senpai and placed my hand on my face . Ryoma , you have to keep your cool . Fuji-senpai stood there and he said nothing . There was a moment of silence . After a short while , he called out to me .

"Echizen …here .."

I turned around and looked at him . He hands was stretched out towards me , holding a tennis racket . I looked at the racket at his hands and then back at him .

"What ?"

"Since talking doesn't seem to do us any good , we'll settle this with tennis . Echizen , I hereby challenge you to a tennis match . Have a match with me .."

**TADA ! Guys , I'm so so so sooo SORRY ! I know my last update was a about two months ago ? I know I said I would update ASAP but I was so super busy with school work and stuff that I can't even write ! But I'll make it up to you ! I promise ! My exams are over so I promise that the next chapter will be out in 2-3 days time ! So anyways , back to the story , Momoshiro was caught red handed by Fuji in an indirect way so now , Fuji know that he's lying . YAY ! Congrats Fuji ! And now , Fuji is trying to reconcile with Ryoma . But this time , with a tennis match . What's going to happen ? And what is momoshiro going to do to prevent the others from finding out the truth ? Read to find out ! Love you guys ! really love you all so much ! Thanks for the support people ! :D **

**Disclaimer : I do now own POT :D**


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